


Passeport, please...

by ThaliaBubble



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Beck has a soft side, Beck is a hero, Cabbage Patch Kids, Childhood Trauma, Death, Destruction, Drama, F/M, Fainting, First Kiss, I will never manage to restore the beauty of b&w drama zooms .... it's my biggest regret, I'm very cruel with my characters, IT'S NOT MY FAULT, Ice Powers, It's gonna hurt, Jake Gyllenhaal references, Lot of fun, Manipulation, Or not, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Probably a lot of plot holes, Psychological Torture, Ravencroft, Redemption, Spider-Man: Far From Home (Movie) Spoilers, Undisclosed desires (MUSE) vibes, Violent father, adorable original female character, as in FFH, backless suit, bowl, but I'm a romantic creature, but he's the one we love, conforting Beck, dramaaaaaaa, having fun, he's sometimes an asshole, he's unstable, hug, naive but adorable, narcissic Beck, oh no !, overdramatic Beck, so he's soft-hearted, sometimes, there are clearly a lot of drones
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-26
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2020-10-28 16:48:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 47,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20781863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThaliaBubble/pseuds/ThaliaBubble
Summary: Young heroine without much confidence, you agree to lend a hand to a mysterious hero who comes to defend your Earth against devastating forces of Nature. He is impressive, kind, attractive and you only want to prove yourself. But some lies hide behind a smokescreen just as you do not always expect to fall in love.We all know who Quentin Beck is but what happens when he meets you instead of Peter Parker?





	1. Mexico crumbles

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Passeport, s'il vous plaît....](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20781968) by [ThaliaBubble](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThaliaBubble/pseuds/ThaliaBubble). 

> Translated with Google traduction, sorry.
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> #Mexico #EarthElemental #meeting #thebeginningofaduo

Distractedly, you listen the debrief for the umpteenth time while the jet lands on dry and crackled ground under a blazing sun. Too distractedly for Nick Fury who gratifies you with a stern look before getting up to go out, wrapped in his big black coat although it is 105 ° in the shade. Your mutation fortunately allows you not to suffer too much from the weather and that's good because you will need all your abilities. A colossus of land and sand, just that? We are far from the petty crimes of your home country. But it's exciting, especially since the whole thing is far from ordinary. While making sure that your boots are operational, you follow Fury and Maria Hill in the Mexican village, looking for the famous hero that you come to support. From him, you only caught a fuzzy picture on TV but that was enough to arouse your curiosity.

The inhabitants are in full evacuation but many are still at home, to gather stuff. Too many. At the same time, you understand them, the surroundings are extremely calm, who could believe that a disaster is likely to fall at any time in this remote part of Mexico? An old woman overtakes you, folded under the weight of her possessions, surprisingly calm despite the earthquake alert that was launched. You hope to be so serene at her age but for the moment, all your senses are on alert. A vibration has just crossed the village, light but still strong enough to roll some pebbles. Maria Hill gives you a nod: it’s starting.

For a few seconds, nothing happens and you feel ridiculous, tense like a bow in your super suit. Then suddenly, the earth cracks under your feet and the horizon explodes in a cloud of dust that remains suspended, forming a massive body with a cruel face. Because yes, this rock mass has a face and it is probably what makes you dizzy for a split second. The colossus lifts up, overturning the habitations that he incorporates into his anatomy of rubble and earth. A few meters from you, Fury and Hill are trying to shoot the creature, without much success. Shock gives way to determination and you feel the tips of your fingers cool, the ice crackling along your knuckles. Let's see what this monster has in the belly.

The unstable ground receding under your feet, you take height thanks to your boots, mentally thanking the SHIELD teams for improving them. The monster pays no attention to you, utters a roar before cutting its fist on a building, fortunately empty. You take advantage of this opening to shoot at full strength on its shoulder, hoping that your cold infiltrates between the stones to destroy it. The giant's joint is freezing, a sign that your idea is not so bad but before you can shatter it, panicky howls resonate in chaos. You see people just avoiding a rain of rubble, trying to escape what was to be their home. Without waiting, you go to help them, pushing the rocks with projectiles of ice, as fast as you can. The earth continues to tremble furiously as the nightmare creature grows and continues its destruction. You encourage the group to move faster, support a casualty to help him reach a safer zone. But all around you is in ruins and evolving in this rugged terrain is almost impossible. Facing the creature, you take a deep breath and try to erect a wall, a protection as strong as possible. Straight and looking as calm as possible, you prepare to protect those you can with all your strength.

A flash of green suddenly pierces the cloud of dust, followed by another that reaches the monster in the head. The ally Fury spoke to you about comes at the right moment, flying in the middle of an emerald cloud. He looks very small in front of the unleashed entity but you feel immediately reassured. He will succeed in stopping this destruction. At least, you hope so. A burst of sunlight shines on his strange helmet as he flies around the monster by strafing. One of his rays reaches the stone shoulder that is falling apart, the same one that you managed to freeze. Hope returns and you leave the civilians to lend a hand to the hero, not without making sure that your wall of ice protects them well.

The one you accidentally forgot the pseudonym tries to force the creature to move away from the ruined village, hitting it on all sides to destabilize it. Alas, the colossus does not allow itself to be attacked and throws a violent punch that sends the hero to fly several meters. Out of the question that it offers respite to this monster, you go to immobilize it of your best, aiming its legs, its arms, all the zones that you can reach with your own ray. The dust in suspension does not make the task easy, you don’t see anything and you have to avoid the remains of houses that clutter the path. But your attacks are not unsuccessful, the giant seems to be struggling, not enough to claim victory but it's a start.

Picking up your breath, you see the helmeted hero get high and join him to set up a plan of action. According to Fury, he has already had the opportunity to confront such beings; his experience would not be refused. Shouting to cover the noise around you, you stabilize at the height of the man in armor.

\- It moves less quickly but its mass increases. Any idea?

With an astonishing clarity despite the bowl that covers his head, the hero answers you while indicating the creature.

\- Keep freezing it, I'll attack where it's weakened. Then we can...

But he does not finish his sentence because the destructive being sweeps a district of the flat of the hand, making collapse the rare buildings still standing. Half stuck under the rubble, you can see something yellow ... a little girl!

\- Strafe it; I take care of the child.

Without waiting, you rush, heart pounding. The girl is miraculously safe, apart from some scratches, but the remains of the house will not last long. With a thousand precautions, you approach to free the little while telling her comforting words in a mixture of English, French and Spanish. In tears, the girl huddles against you as you see bodies crushed under rubble. They, you could not save them.

Raising the child in your arms, you hold her head against your shoulder so that she does not see the monster that rises several meters. As fast as your boots allow you, you go away to join the civilians and give the girl to them. But your gaze keeps coming back to the silhouette that whirls, melts and attacks, injuring the creature with its green rays. He must be exhausted but holds on, continuing to weaken the scourge that roars by lifting clouds of sand. The rock is nevertheless giving way in various places and the monster is losing mass, giving frenzied shots to try to defeat the hero. The latter seems to be concentrating, gathering around him a gigantic green cloud before throwing all his power into the chest of the creature that disintegrates in a roar of thunder. Calm returns and as you seem to think it's over, the civilians behind you start to clap. The monster is defeated.  
The little girl in your arms has stopped crying and you slowly rock her, asking yourself what will happen now, if someone can take care of her after this disaster. The thread of your thoughts is interrupted by a silhouette in armor that lands a few steps away, covered with dirt and a little dented. But before greeting him properly, you want to settle something important then you turn to the inhabitants who had not time to flee, designates the girl in your arms.

\- No tiene padres. Por favor ...

Your Spanish is more than incomplete but that doesn’t matter, the message is passed. A man approaches and reaches out to the child.

\- Nosotros la cuidaremos. (We will take care of her)

With a wave of your head, you thank them and invite them to leave these ruins to put themselves in a safe place before returning your attention to your teammate who has not moved and observes you, at least that's what it seems but hard to say with this ... bowl.

\- It was ... a hell of a piece. You have been amazing.

The compliment was sincere and it went out alone, it's true that he was impressive. Without fear of revealing your secret identity, you remove the mask that covers the upper part of your face, wipe it to remove traces of sweat and dust. A good shower would not be a refusal, it will start to scratch soon.  
The hero whose name you still do not remember also decides to take off his headgear and that's good because he has to die from hot in his bowl. The glass slides and you cannot help but raise a surprised eyebrow by discovering the bearded and relatively attractive man who was hiding under it. In fact, it's not so shocking, a lot of superheroes are good-looking but since this one was wearing an opaque helmet, you foolishly thought it could be a guy disfigured like Deadpool. Yes, you have also vaguely considered that he would be a fish with robot body but it lasted only half a second and you had seen Megamind yesterday.

No, Quentin is not a fish and he has no scales anywhere on the body. It would have pushed the delirium a little too far, he must still be close to his audience, so that the mass can join him. Speaking of mass, the applause that concluded his performance did not go unnoticed and Beck is delighted with this success. Obviously, the air elemental had had a bigger audience but SHIELD was not there. Everything went as planned even though your presence caught him off guard. He will have to congratulate his team for their responsiveness because they have adapted well. Not as brightly as him but that was nice. Finally, as an improvised "teammate", you were not a big embarrassment, busy saving civilians by leaving him all the glory, it suited wonderfully. For the moment, you're full of admiration, it's obvious, the hero has captured the wonder in your voice. With a modest smile, Quentin answers you.

\- I could not have done it without you. We are a good team.

Hop, little complicit look and you're done. It can always be useful to have a heroine in his pocket, as unknown as you are.

Not suspecting the disdain that the hero has for you, or even that he’s trying to seduce you, you shake your head as you try to engage in conversation. This is the moment that Fury and Maria Hill choose to join and you are not unhappy because you have stupidly forgotten the nickname of your interlocutor. The SHIELD leader is talking directly to the man in armor and you vaguely remember that they had met briefly in Australia, when the hero had fought another monster and predicted the attack in Mexico. The first time you met Fury, you had to stop a fire. Not a very big one. But this is not the question.

\- Good job Mr. Beck, This motherfucking monster could have done much more damage.

Slightly offended that he does not speak to you, you frown a moment before meeting the gaze of Maria Hill who seems less enthusiastic than her boss by the helmeted man. Maybe Fury loves men in armor ... or maybe it's the cloak.

While you are imagining hearts in the unique eye, the man turns slightly to point you to the stranger.

\- I present you Your/Super/Name. She will help you from now on. Her powers are powerful, they can be useful.

Quentin looks at you, finds you young, closer to the apprentice than the confirmed superhero. It must come from your attitude, you don’t release the arrogant assurance of the Avengers. Nevertheless, he saw you at work and sensed that he must not underestimate you. Even if he already takes note of all the details, think about how to use them; or rather, how to use you.

\- Bienvenue.

Not really knowing if he will be part of the SHIELD or even what awaits you, you don’t go into details but you still wanted to address some encouraging words to Beck, knowing very well how it can be confusing to work for Nick Fury. Even if it's not really about working for him. Just to combine your efforts.  
Beck makes an eloquent grin, he's no more comfortable than you, and reaches out.

\- I wonder what I'm getting into, but if it can save your world ... Quentin Beck.

\- Y/N, no more advanced but motivated.

\- I think it's the beginning of a duo, Y/N.


	2. The fake, tearful past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You finally discover the hero you help and his terrible past. As you pity him, he plays and reveals his real face off camera (and his muscular back).
> 
> #Mysteriotragicpast #Willandtheteam #Beckisnarcissic #backless-suit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translated with Google traduction, sorry.
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy it

If the jet is a model of discretion and speed, it is nonetheless a gift from Tony Stark, which implies two things: advanced technology and exceptional comfort. Ah! And also to disinfect the seats but it has already been done. Eight times. Installed in an armchair, you watch Quentin detail the places with interest even if his face is closed, hardened by an emotion that passes in his eyes. You do not imagine that it may be hatred or anger, he must simply be thoughtful.

Fury crosses his hands in front of his face, scrutinizing you like lab rats while the holographic table lights up, revealing not only shots of the day but also of Australia as well as folkloric illustrations. In the flow of images, you recognize a sketch of the creature of sand and stone, mouth open to roar.

\- Go ahead Beck, explain to us what we're dealing with, asks the head of SHIELD with the tone of a general in an alien film. The kind that fires with a machine gun, shirtless and cigar in the beak.

The hero obeys, stands up to look at the holographic projections, looking dark. Before speaking, he inspires deeply as if to give himself courage, to prevent his voice from shaking or to remove painful memories. This ill-concealed pain appeals to you, you fond of sad stories with your mania to collect lost or wounded souls. But already the young man finds a serious and calm attitude, finally answering all the questions that you ask yourself.

\- The creature of today was an Elemental, the earth one. They are four and they have destroyed my world ... They are devastating forces and they strike everywhere on the globe. On my Earth, it began in Australia and then in Mexico ... Our forces were not prepared enough to curb the threat so the disasters multiplied. I was part of the action group ... we managed to stop some of them but the Fire Elemental has ....

He pauses for a while, staring blank, his jaw contracted as he grabs the golden ring on his finger. A reproduction of the Earth is burning under your eyes, consuming all life to leave only ashes. That's a lot of information to digest, starting with the fact that Quentin Beck does not come from this planet but from a ... parallel world? The idea does not seem to shock Fury too much, perhaps he had already been made aware. Or he's a poker king. A silence of death reigns in the jet, until the hero returns to speak.

\- These monsters have arrived on your Earth to reproduce the same chaos, to exterminate all traces of life. I will help you fight them. They are dangerous entities but we have a head start: we know where the next will hit.

He indicates a point on the European continent, a place that you know too well.

\- Paris ...

Your voice is only a murmur, an icy chill running down your spine, imagining the carnage that an elemental would provoke in the capital, your capital.  
Maria Hill pinches her lips while looking at the map, she is already analyzing all the options, the things to put in place to limit damage and human casualties. The Mexican village was tiny, especially compared to the French city.

\- How long do we have?

\- One or two days at most.

Immediately, Hill disappears at the other end of the plane to give orders, make calls with speed and efficiency out of the ordinary. Fury ends the holographic projections and stands up.

\- We will stop the time to prepare the jet and to agree with France on an evacuation plan. Suffice to say that it will take all night to make them understand the situation.

Obviously, the idea of communicating with the French prodigiously annoys the one-eyed, which makes you want to laugh. As Fury walks away grumbling, you roll your eyes at Beck.

\- He would be almost offensive...

But your attempt to relax the atmosphere does not even make you laugh because you think brutally of everything your teammate has suffered. His planet was destroyed while he was protecting it, he lost his family ... What do we say to a homeless widower hero?

\- Sorry ... for your loss.

It sounds so hollow, so cliché. A mixture of shyness and embarrassment prevents you from looking at him and you expect him to speak, the jet to arise, to find a genius idea to unlock this heavy atmosphere. Of course, you cannot know that this whole story is just a web of lies and that this "hero" is currently making fun of your naivety and compassion. You just want to break the ice, you'll have to work together.

The jet comes almost immediately and you stifle a sigh of relief at the thought of getting out of this metal box. It's not the plane that scares you but rather the silence that reigns there. Maybe it'll be better after a good night's sleep. The members of SHIELD go down, begin to distribute their orders: fuel, call to the French Minister, reservation of a small hotel, preparation of the route for Paris.  
You're about to get up when Quentin briefly puts his hand on your arm with a weak but warm smile.

\- Don’t worry, I understand what you mean and… thank you.

He precedes you to go down and you separate, you going to the hotel while the hero exchanges a few words with Fury. Future events worry you greatly but in the midst of stress, you feel a little lighter. This is the first time you will team up with a hero and even if it sounds stupid, you consider that you cannot work without a minimum of link. You enter the small room without paying attention to the bare bulb and suspicious spots on the walls. The head buzzing of the latest information, you start thinking about how to face the elemental, where to evacuate potential civilians, which are the places most at risk. In short, you do your homework as a serious heroine.

With a sigh of relief, Quentin sends his shoes flying and gets rid of his armor. This thing weighs a ton! He puts the suit on a chair before cracking his joints. A hot bath would not be luxury but before, he must do some research on his "partner". Although SHIELD has not taken place in the hotel, he can contact his team without risk of being listened to. With his fingertips, he presses on his headset and waits for the communication between him and Will.

\- Boss?

\- Will, you are well settled in Paris? Everything is in place? And don’t call me "boss", I'm Quentin, not that Stark bastard.

A growl reaches him, as every time the name of Iron Man is mentioned. It is sometimes necessary to remember the engineer to their good memory, just to revive the anger that keeps their group united.

\- Yes, we are in Paris and everything is ready for your arrival.

\- And we even had pains au chocolat. Or chocolatines, I never know, says a female voice, which makes everyone laugh briefly, even Quentin who connects though.

\- I end up working with some Y/N. Find me what you can on her.

\- Is she a threat?, Will asks with a look for the rest of the team. Each grain of sand that can interfere with their plans must be taken into account and eliminated quickly. Beck is an intelligent man but slightly ... unstable.

The question makes the impostor laugh, he thinks back to your schoolgirl attitude in the jet, your eagerness to save the few natives while a gigantic monster was sowing destruction.

\- Absolutely not, she seems to be the kind of young idiot with a big heart. On the other hand, she can do some damage. Tell me everything you have about her, that I can fly her off our feet.

While waiting for Will's answer, the young man walks on the worn-out carpet, molded in his green-scaled top, a light stream of fresh air passing over the sore muscles of his bare back. This cutting may seem ridiculous but it is very practical to avoid dying of hot with armor and cloak. And then, in all modesty, Beck thinks it makes him look sexy.

\- Y/N ... Divorced parents, her mother is an accountant and the father is an university professor. French. Good grades, she followed a long course. There is no evidence that she became a heroine, a few passages to the hospital for a fall on the stairs, a broken arm after a skiing accident.

\- Banal... Contact me if you find other info.

Will stifles a yawn with great difficulty, their leader does not realize the time difference and what time it is in France.

\- Very good, Quentin. We are waiting for you tomorrow to launch the Elemental.

\- Good night. And nice work for today. By cons, you should add a little more emotion next time. More tension.

With these words, he hangs up without realizing that even when he drops a compliment, he chokes it under a flood of criticism and recommendations. But his team needs it to respond to his ideas, to achieve perfection.


	3. It's heating up in Paris

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A terrifying Elemental threatens to melt Paris and only two heroes can prevent it. It promises to be an extremely intense and dramatic show. Perfect.
> 
> #France #FireElemental #tragicandheroicsacrifice #drama #destruction #Becklooooooovesthisituation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translated with Google traduction, sorry.
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy it

In the early hours of the day, you go back to the jet, ready to fight. You did not sleep as much as you should, but at least you managed to evacuate the sand that stuck to your skin, even if it was worth a good hour of battle with the shower. It's a new day, you feel ready to be a super-heroine. Maria Hill greets you with a quick nod, still busy telephoning the French police. Neither she nor her boss seem to have taken a lot of rest but what's more normal? You sit at the bottom of the device, check that nobody pays attention to you to take out your mobile and send a slew of SMS. It's stupid, totally unprofessional but you MUST warn your loved ones that they must take shelter and avoid the capital. You send message on message while remaining evasive, you read it on the Internet, the news speak about ... Brutally you stop, taken by a frightful hesitation. You hate yourself but you skip two names in your contact list, your parents are old enough to look at the news.

Last to climb, Beck remembers one last time the steps of the big show, in a good mood even if he does not show it. Today's performance will mark a turning point in his career as a hero: he will save a capital. Obviously, there will be tragic losses but the whole world will see him, glorious but humble, triumphing over the monster. It will be great. In addition, social networks start talking about him, his exploits. Strangely, even the attack on the small Mexican village did not go unnoticed. He is nicknamed "Smoke", "the hero bowl" or his favorite, "Mysterio". Nothing like a nickname to mark the spirits.

From the corner of his eye, he spots you, notices your thoughtful and even worried look. Obviously, you must be apprehending the next attack, the devastation, the terrifying force that you will have to face without knowing how. You must be devoured by anguish and helplessness. At least, that's what he thinks, the ego inflated by the prospect of a beautiful day. As a hero and teammate, he makes a point of reassuring you his best; after all, he has already fought the elementals in the past. He settles near you, glides the compassionate look of the mentor/future friend rich of advice. Obi-Wan Kenobi but sexier.

\- You're trying to protect your loved ones, huh?

Your silence is more than eloquent and if he knew people in France, he too would probably be eager to inform them of the attack. Still, he should have relatives. Few people understand his vision, his motivations and the fire that drives him.

\- We will stop the threat, before it does too much damage, hopefully. We'll get there.

You shake your head with an attempt to smile, put away your phone. Fear is on your features, but you're trying to be strong, at least that's how Quentin analyzes things and he's not far from the truth. He leans toward you, as far as his armor allows, thinks for a few moments crossing his fingers on his knees. When he speaks again, it is in a low voice, as if you were exchanging a secret or something intimate.

\- I admit that I too, I'm a little worried. These creatures destroyed everything I had ... But yesterday, we managed to reduce to dust this elemental, you and me. Without your help, things might have gone wrong. You managed to stop this creature while keeping civilians safe, and you were alone. You have great powers, Y/N, and even if you only feel that they come with great responsibilities, they make you strong and capable of saving lives. So, even if I’m worried, I trust you and our team.

He gives you a look as intense as kind and your apprehensions collapse like a house of cards, it is a gift that cannot be taken away from him, he has the art to seduce his world. That this man from another world place his trust in you, little heroine without stature (and without self-esteem), surprises you and invigorates you. You're going to make a mouthful of this creature! A happy smile blossoms in your face.

\- Thanks... uh, Beck. We will put this monster out of harm's way.

Your teammate approves your combativeness with a nod, quickly tapping your knee before standing up slightly. If playing mentors was not planned at first, he has a lot of fun with this new role.

\- But you may have questions about what lies ahead. I'm listening, go ahead.

But instead of keeping silence or leading yourself as an ignorant disciple, you suddenly become animated, a spark of almost frightening excitement in your eyes. You studied the subject until late at night or rather until early this morning. You have read and reread articles, studies, legends about aquatic or lava monsters and you have even watched Moana scenes. Under Beck's slightly flabbergasted gaze, you show documents and annotated Paris cards, marked with symbols where the points of affluence are noted.

\- So, well, I thought a lot about which places would be the most logical if an Elemental wanted to attack. If it is Water, it will appear near the Seine to be able to feed. I noticed the easiest areas to access and those that would require a quick evacuation ...

You throw in explanations, theories that you have developed and it must be said that you have put a lot of energy and thought, so much that Beck regrets that you are not part of his team. However, he reassures himself by hearing you speak only of the water elemental and the damage it could cause. It arranges him, it will maintain the effect of surprise and prevent you to be in his paws during the attack. When finally you finish your presentation, he does not feign surprise and admiration.

\- It's a hell of a job you've done, well done. It will be useful, very useful.

Under the compliment, you blush and shrug your shoulders, deep down very proud to have acted as a heroine even in the face of a threat that you still only half understand. What is certain is that the day promises to be hectic and that evening newspapers will have something to talk about. As long as nobody is hurt ... Without you knowing it, the jet took off as you showed Quentin the fruit of your reflections and you have been flying over the Atlantic for a while now. Around you reigns calm before the storm and you stand in your armchair, preparing for following events.

The dullness hangs over Paris like a lid, making the silence that surrounds still more impressive. Just a few minutes ago, SHIELD spotted a strange signal on the side of the Champ de Mars and you followed Beck in the air to the huge Iron Lady proudly enthroned. Despite the efforts of the police to keep the crowd, there are still a few people to walk near the Eiffel Tower, unaware of what may happen to them. Your partner has already donned his helmet and you do not distinguish anything from his face behind the thick smoke but his presence somewhat alleviates your apprehension. He is in discussion with Fury on the way forward, patiently exposes what he experienced during his fights, the tactics employed. Then he cuts the communication, turning to you without fear of being listened to by your "boss".

\- When the Elemental arrives, it must be removed from any source of water. The last time I faced it, we had to take it far into the city and ... to stop it was not without some losses. But we are ready today, we will succeed.

He gently puts his hand in your back, to reassure you probably or perhaps by sympathy. The gesture continues and he seems about to add something when the floor starts to smoke, oozing a glowing magma that swells and swells as the temperature rises. The bubbling mass is rapidly growing to form a giant bigger and more terrifying than the Mexico’s one. Its entire body is nothing but smoke, lava and ashes, culminating several meters high. From its gaping mouth escapes sparks and a fearsome odor of sulfur. Quentin departs from you, restoring the connection with Fury and the rest of the group.

\- I don’t understand ... it was the water Elemental that should have appeared, never before they had operated otherwise than on my Earth. If it manages to swallow the Eiffel Tower, we will not be able to stop it. It will have reached enough power to consume the Earth's core. I'm sorry, I made a mistake ...  
\- It's perfect.

A perfectly synchronized exclamation escapes from all the mouths and you see the silhouette in armor turn to you, surprised. It’s normal but you're eager to explain yourself before they think you've gone crazy. Maybe you have, that would explain your slightly enthusiastic tone.

\- A few meters from us, there is the Seine! If we push it back to the water, it will be helpless! Won’t it ?

You look at the river, so close but at the same time very badly placed because the metal monument is between the stream and the creature. Finding how to push the monster into the wave without reaching its goal will be difficult not to say impossible but it's the only idea that has come to you and the silence in your headset tells you that nobody has better for the moment. It only took a few seconds but the Elemental begins to move, burning the grass with its glowing breath, threatening to dust the entire park. The onlookers immediately start screaming, running away as best they can, losing their balance at every step of the monster that makes the earth tremble. Some unconscious unsheathe their cell to film the scene, bring back a proof. Idiots, you should avoid being killed to bring back your proof!

Barely five hundred meters separate the volcanic entity from the large metal structure that will feed it, the Seine is only a few meters away but seems unattainable at this time. Yet it will be necessary to precipitate the creature, or you’ll see disappear not only Paris but the whole world. Despite the anguish that twists your stomach, you address your partner calmly. It's your turn to reassure him.

\- We will succeed.

You have no choice, or your world will burn. It is on this unfortunate thought that you take height and inspect the surroundings in search of the least element that can hinder the creature. A thick black smoke begins to rise and it is not calcined grass that can produce it. The traveling magma advances to its target, leaving the green expanse for the broad strip of bitumen that separates the park in two. The ground becomes tar and the monster grows a triumphant roar engulfing a car then a second, doubling volume under your horrified gaze. It is more than time to react and quickly.

\- Fury, we need your men to make a water lance. Use that.

You quickly point the basin behind you before coming to help Beck. The latter is already blasting the enemy with his green projectiles, struggling to slow it down but still manages to inflict some damage. Alas, every time the creature is hit, it swells by swallowing tar or abandoned vehicles. His march continues, inexorable, towards the great tower it covets so much. Letting the SHIELD agents work, you approach the giant radiating a heat that makes you doubt your abilities. Already the fire colossus arrives on the park, final stretch before the Eiffel Tower. Even if you are afraid that it does not work, it is necessary that you try, even to put all your forces there. Your palms cool down and you focus before casting an icy salvo on the creature, prolonging the shot for several seconds. The ice wrap persists for a few moments, hitting one of the monster's arms before melting, you'll have to hit harder and longer if you want to get a result. Your attempt did not escape Beck who seems to have an idea.

\- Y/N, wait for my signal and do it again. We must all, SHIELD, you and I, hit at the same time.  
\- A combined attack ... okay.

You let your partner communicate his idea to the ground agents, looking for where to put you to best help. The infernal entity has already grown several meters, the water hose cannot reach above the legs, if you concentrate your power on the chest and Beck goes for the head ... It will work.

A few meters from you, the helmeted hero gloats, everything is going well and the show could not be more impressive. They worked well even though the best is yet to come. Already, you are filmed, images sent on social networks to flesh out the character of the mysterious hero in green. Obviously, for the moment, you do not deplore any death but already some slight injuries when the Elemental appeared. It always makes the stories more striking when there are losses. The young man makes one or two remarks to his team about the sequence of events before reabsorbing himself in the fight. Working with so many people, whether it is SHIELD or an young heroine, was not planned, but he did a great job of accommodating, giving everyone a specific place, a role that makes them feel useful without crowding out or hindering him. He glances at you, a figure stretched out by determination and concentration, entirely at this fight. Obviously, you make him want to laugh as you are serious but he cannot help but feel a bit of admiration for your courage and your investment. You do not hide your fears, but you face the danger, never forgetting to worry about others, making plans, constantly seeking new ideas. An ideal partner to let him the light, and pretty with that. But already Quentin is charging his fists with a jade glow before giving the signal.

\- Now !

Powers and pressurized water strike the creature with strength and in perfect harmony, each aiming for a strategic point. The entity is roaring with rage, its terrifying face distorted by hatred while a dense smoke escapes from its body that covers it entirely, its skin sizzling under assaults. For a brief moment, you cannot distinguish anything from the volcanic mass and the hope that it was defeated caresses your mind before flying away when the monster reappears to your eyes, injured but whole and more angry than never. With a howling scream, the Elemental hits on all sides, igniting the trees, sweeping the air and bumping Beck hard. While the latter is flying several meters away, you realize that you will not be able to stop the creature, not like that, not alone. Your gaze turns to the Eiffel Tower and the Seine, you really need the river. But how to do it ?

As fast as you can, you fly to the monument, thinking about a plan, something. But then a scream holds your attention, coming from the top of the building. Two teenagers are paralyzed, contemplating the fight with horror without daring to move. Lovers ? He wanted to tell the girl he loved her at the top of the Eiffel Tower? Romantic but it was clearly not the right day. Without further ado, you go to them while asking yourself how to get them down. The elevators are out of order, the stairs are extremely long. As if to hurry you even more, the Elemental turns to you, its ugly glowing facies distorted by a cruel grin. It takes a few steps before starting to run, to run! How can such a massive being sprint? No time to question on this, you improvise hoping that your idea will not send two young people to the morgue.

\- Calm down, I'll get you out of there but you’ll have to go fast. Hush, listen to me!

Despite the anguish, you express yourself clearly and with authority, looking at the couple right in the eyes trying to appease them as best as you can while developing something to help them. Hope you succeed, hope everything ends well.

\- My name is Y/S/N, I'll get you out of there. Breathe deeply, you’ll go down one by one by this slide. It will be cold, it will be scary but I want you to keep calm. Everything will be alright.

You've never built something so big in such a short time, but you pray for everything to hold, looking at the long ice snake that goes down the Tower to the ground. Keeping it solid will require time and effort that you cannot devote to destroying the Elemental. It must work. One of the teenagers gets into the toboggan, livid with anxiety and you give her an encouraging but short smile. The incandescent creature is gaining ground and even if its huge body makes it slow, it will soon be on you and then nothing will stop it.

\- Carry on, Y/N, I'm coming.

Beck's voice reaches you in the headset as a green lightning bolts to hit the monster, stopping it for a moment. A ball of relief explodes in you, especially because someone will be able to slow the creature but also a little bit because you worried for the hero. The teenager arrives safely on the ground and you signal to her boyfriend to follow her on the ice coil that you are trying to maintain solid despite the fatigue and heat that begins to increase while the Elemental approaches. Instinctively, you stand between it and the frozen structure, watching Beck continue to aim everywhere without being able to lend a hand. Despite the efforts of the hero, the titan continues its advance and when it arrives at the Tower, your heart misses a beat. With one hand, you project what you can of power but without obtaining a result, each frozen impact melting immediately. The fiery eyes are darting in your direction and the monster raises the fist to bring it down on you, poor defenseless ants. The volcanic mass darkens on you and you hold your breath, hoping that the teenager reaches down before everything shatters.

As the Beast prepares to crush you, a helmeted silhouette stands between you and the fire, creating an emerald shield that protects you both. Although you cannot see his face, you thank your partner with a look, speechless towards the sequence of actions. Beck pushes back the staggering creature, stumbling back several steps before clinging to the metal structure with a victorious roar, instantly melting the beams, engulfing them. A devastated exclamation escapes from the opaque helmet when Beck realizes that the worst is happening. You lost.

The Elemental swells, swells and grows, radiating an infernal fire that makes the atmosphere suffocating. Your toboggan begins to melt, fortunately when the second teen arrives on the mainland and runs away. You let fall your ice work without paying attention, captivated by the disastrous view of the creature who will consume the entire Eiffel Tower and the world.

\- We should push it back into the Seine but ...

You don’t finish your sentence, not wanting to say aloud that everything is lost. Your powers are helpless, those of Beck a little more effective but how could they face a threat of such magnitude? But that does not mean that you will surrender without fighting.

\- I have an idea.  
\- What can I do to help?  
\- Prevent the Tower from collapsing and ... cross fingers.

Beck bombs the entity away from its food source, clearing you of the free field to extinguish the red-hot beams and prevent them from melting. The monster recoils a little, pushed back by the jade ray, turns its attention on the hero in armor that keeps attacking.  
The young man walks away, climbing into the air towards the head of the colossus, his arms sparkling with a green energy that increases in intensity, rising from his hands to his shoulders. A bad feeling twists your stomach when you see such a concentration of power.

\- Beck ...  
\- It has been a pleasure to team up with you, Y/N.

As you fly in all directions to stop the collapse, you see your partner gather all his strength. The hero turns to his gigantic enemy while around him forms a thick smoke. Under the effort, his body twists and he barely represses a complaint that reaches your ear, he will put everything in this attack, even if he could die. Beck takes the time to mark the break, just for the dramatic effect because it's the climax of this fight.

\- This is for my family.

Then he goes down on the giant of fire, crossing its chest by printing a large green trace that spreads rapidly, browsing the torso, the arms and legs of the Elemental who reaches for the Metal Tower in a final attempt to absorb it, screaming in anger. Its body paralyzes under the green force before exploding in a sheaf of fire and power that sweeps the entire area without causing damage. Then everything becomes calm again.

The Elemental’s cry of rage still rings in your ears but there is no trace of it. Only fine emerald particles remain of the battle, particles that fall on the smoking ground and on the laid body. My god, Quentin ... Never have your boots seemed so slow when you fly to the lifeless young man. What he did was impressive, this creature had reached such a power ... But more than the admiration and the relief, it is the fear that oppresses you to the idea that the helmeted hero gave his life for this victory. Just as your feet meet the firm ground, you run to your partner without paying attention to the flames that still lick the pavement, put your hand along his members in search of a possible bleeding. The opaque visor prevents you from knowing if the hero is still breathing, the thick armor does not allow to perceive the movements of his chest. Praying for the mechanism to be simple, you touch the edge of the bowl in search of a button, something, anything. Finally the helmet opens on the face of the young man with closed eyelids. Although feverish, you do not quake while watching his breathing, a slight trickle of air out of his mouth ajar.

\- Beck ... wake up. You have won, the Elemental has disappeared. Quentin ...

You put your hand on his cheek, find it warm fortunately, the thin beard pricking your palm. This contact seems to help your partner recovering and he lets out a grunt of pain by opening his eyes. Immediately he looks on all sides, worried at the idea of seeing in the sky a culminating lava giant triumphant.

\- All is well, it's over. You destroyed it.

The relief makes your voice shake a little bit, the counter-blow of all these emotions probably. Quentin raises his hand towards yours, forgotten on his cheek, and covers it, smiling.

\- We destroyed it.

Bursts of voice arrive, a sign that journalists and onlookers will soon invade the scene. You get up, Beck with a little difficulty, helped by you. Before journalists could take a photo of his face, he has already put on his helmet, making sure that the situation is under control before taking off to get away from the growing crowd, the cloud of waving phones. We need you no more here then you slip away, not without having a look at the Eiffel Tower. It will need some renovations but it will survive.


	4. Paris,city of light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A particular chapter, more soft. Romantic vibes.  
Beck and you will be able to enjoy an evening to relax. Yeah!
> 
> #I'msoft-hearted #Beckcuteside #Cabbagepatchdoll #fair #havingfun #arrow #half-nakedQuentin #Parisbynight #Netflixandchill

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translated with Google traduction, sorry.
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy it

For once, Fury has agreed to settle you into something more comfortable than a small shabby hotel. And when I say more comfortable, I mean that you are currently lying on a huge bed in front of a flat screen. And your bathroom has a bathtub! The luxury ... Rejected in the distance, your propulsion boots are two dark spots on the soft carpet, reminiscent of the contrast between calm and the hell that reigned there. You would have to move just to take a hot bath and eliminate the dirt, the pain in your muscles after this fight but you feel too tired for the moment, too pensive. You see nothing of the ceiling or the furniture, completely immersed in your thoughts about the Elemental, the way things could have gone wrong. Really wrong. You think of the gigantic mass, the flames, the cries, Beck unconscious, the Eiffel Tower melting, teenagers trapped, the explosion of power of your partner that could have cost his life. Even if you do not confess it to yourself, to see him go like a kamikaze to the magma giant shocked you. To tell the truth, this whole story is totally crazy.

Your mobile vibrates with insistence, it stops no more since the attack, and you finally accept to stall, hearing the overexcited voice of your best friend, the only one who knows for your ... volunteer job, who comments on the latest events.

\- Y/N, can you hear me? Did you see what happened in Paris? Oh yes, of course you saw ... It's totally awesome.  
\- Yeah, I saw, it's ... crazy.  
\- Turn on your TV, it’s on all channels. Punaise, I wish I were here! It's pure madness!

Docile, you turn on your screen to scroll through the chains, infinitely reviewing the attack of the fire colossus, your silhouettes flying by projecting what you could, water and powers. Even if it's finished, reviewing these pictures does not make you feel comfortable. Fortunately, your friend quickly turns away your dark thoughts by resuming her enthusiastic chatter.

\- What you did was crazy! You must have been scared!  
\- Oh yes, it was terrifying ... But it disappeared for good.

You don’t say it could have gone bad, no need to scare your friend with such apocalyptic things. In any case, she does not particularly seem to want to dwell on the titan of fire and lava.

\- And this hero, how is he? Do you know him well? How is he under his bowl?  
\- Oh, covered with scales.  
\- Stop, it's not possible! Is it?  
\- No, he's normal, like you and me. He is human.  
\- But is he handsome?

You watch TV where your partner appears from a distance, sometimes flying in the air, sometimes on the ground when he is not shining green.

\- He is ... I guess you can say he's attractive. He is especially kind and brave.  
\- Do you like him ?

The question you were waiting for and feared, unavoidable. However you will disappoint her because you do not answer too quickly or too slowly, your voice does not translate strong emotion, at least you hope.

\- No ... he impresses me.

And that's the truth, right? On the other hand, it’s difficult to do otherwise, you who consider yourself a novice hero, teamed up with the endowed survivor of a vanished world with powers that you do not yet perceive the full extent and who is ready to risk his life to save this Earth ... it moves you a little. Before your friend can bombard you with questions, you decide to cut short, just because you're very tired.

\- My darling, I'll have to leave you, the day has been long ...  
\- Ah yes of course. Take care of yourself, sweetie. You have been incredible.  
\- Thank you ... kiss Elodie for me.  
\- As if I needed an excuse to kiss her ..

With these words, she hangs up and you throw the phone to the other end of the bed with a sigh, it's been good to talk to her, a little piece of normality in this strange world. Taking advantage of a little boost of energy, you agree to drag yourself to the bathroom to make you sink a bath, looking distractedly news about the attack, the monster and the hero Mysterio...

Mysterio. It has been validated on social networks, here is the baptized helmeted hero. The name does not displease Beck, it corresponds well to the idea he has of his character, and it's a hundred times better than "Bowl-man". The various French newscasts retransmit the shots of Paris during and after the battle against the Elemental, highlighting the courage of the two mysterious vigilantes who literally flew in the face of danger. As expected, many amateur videos have invaded Internet, showing from all angles the frightening creature, its glowing mouth, but also the way it was put out of harm's way. A channel leaves out the monster to focus on the heroes, questioning their identity, their beliefs, if they are together, if they are employed by the government. In an obscure channel, they talk about them as androids, as a set-up created by the United States to sell super-soldiers and this idea snatches a laugh to the young man who finds some truth in these theories.

Today's mission has gone well, no one is unaware that there is a new hero in armor and cloak and Fury has expressed his gratitude and approval ... in his own way. Without undoe immodesty, Quentin could say that SHIELD eats in his hand, he, the dark engineer that great Tony Stark fired years ago. What a change in situation. It must be said that their plan, to Beck and his team, was built and put in place with extreme care. Everything is going exactly as planned, except for the absence of Iron-man's little protégé who should have helped him but Fury did not contact, preferring an unknown, equally naive heroine. Whatever, the most important thing is that Mysterio is now on everyone's lips, on every screen and it's only just the beginning.

After a long time to discuss with his team on the continuation of the plan, the false-hero finally allows himself a break, alone with his thoughts. Even though today's battle was a success and his character was covered in glory, there were still critics, points for improvement that Beck could only lift. Even Janice, the charming woman who takes care of his costume (and she had to spend long hours to satisfy the slightly short fuse perfectionist) became the object of his frustration because his left boot was slightly damaged. There were also some flame effects that were poorly timed, the impostor in armor almost burned himself flying over the monster. Maybe because he did not respect the choreography but who would make the remark? And then there was the debate about the fact that they did not think about including the Seine in their script and that it was totally stupid when a fire monster was brought in not to think of using the river at all. Of course, no one had dared to point out to the leader that it was he who had rejected the idea of pushing the Elemental into the water for something "more spectacular and heroic".

After hanging up, Beck had made himself comfortable, inspecting the contents of the mini-bar before going to shower. Now, as the water trickles over his developed muscles (officially by dint of washing his hair as he used to say to joke), he continues to think about the battle, the excitement that inhabited him when others were panicked. The couple at the top of the Eiffel Tower had surprised him, what idea to climb so high to make his declaration of love? Two hormonal teenagers, guided by their sexual desire, but who you did not hesitated to save. Quentin rolls eyes, thinking back with a mixture of amusement and amazement at the icy toboggan you've built in a matter of seconds. It was a crazy but ingenious idea that needed a lot of energy. Yes, seeing the expression focused on your features, Beck does not doubt that the task was difficult. But if there is one thing he understood about you, it is that you would do everything to save others, to avoid the slightest casualty. Usually, the Good Samaritan complex annoys him and he greatly despises what he saw in you as being a weakness but now, he is surprised to appreciate this defect and to find it touching. The thread of his thoughts brings him to the end of the fight, when he was lying on the pavement. His mind brings him back to the worry in your eyes, the slight trembling of your voice pronouncing his name without being aware of it, the heat of your feverish hand on his limbs and his cheek. You seemed so anxious looking at him and he felt strange, wanting to reassure you without wanting you to stop your contact.

Absorbed by his thoughts, the young man returns to the room, wiping his naked torso while watching the television which still broadcasts images of the battle. As if to respond to his thoughts, you appear on the screen, extremely blurred, helping one of the teenagers to slide to the ground. Yes, Fury could have associated him with a worse heroine.

Three shy shots suddenly echo on the door and Beck stands up, wondering what the SHIELD might want from him even though it seemed to him that everything was clear for the next day. Without thinking of putting on a t-shirt, he opens the door and falls on you, obviously, whose cheekbones blush immediately.

\- Did you ... I thought we could relax a little bit after those last crazy days. As we have free quarters, would you like to go out a little? Well, I mean, if you want, Paris by night ...

Two voices are arguing in you to determine if this proposal is stupid or if it's just your way of formulating it that is idiotic. Somehow, you're still very impressed by the hero and it's playing on your attitude. Fortunately, Beck does not seem to want to make fun of your embarrassment, on the contrary. Even if, internally, he laughs at your deference, a large part of him is glad with this proposal. Glad and a little surprised, especially because your arrival coincides with his thoughts.

\- I would love. But on one condition: call me Quentin, I feel like a teacher or a grandfather. I'm not that old ...

It is true that you are too shy, you treat him more like a mentor than an equal. With a nod, you show your approval before taking a step back, just to let him close the door and put on a t-shirt, a shirt, a crop-top, what he wants but cover this torso….

\- Perfect, let’s say in half an hour in the hall?  
\- I'll be there.

Well, it gives you time to think about where to take him, what to see during this evening. It’s funny, to be able to walk without mask or costume. You're about to turn around when a question suddenly burns your lips.

\- B ... Quentin ...  
\- Yes, Y/N?

Suddenly hesitant because not wanting to risk to offend him or to be too much... .protective, you pause before continuing, because you know that anyway, you will end up asking him the question.

\- Are you OK ?

Physically after the attack? Mentally because he has to constantly rethink the destruction of his planet and his loved ones? What exactly are you thinking about, hard to say, maybe everything at the same time. As a partner, it is your role to watch over the hero, as recent as your association is, and even if he seems strong, you cannot help thinking back to the precise moment when he has loaded all this power and when he went down to the Elemental without knowing if he would survive. "This is for my family."  
If he’s not really affected by what you're thinking about, Beck, as a great actor (you should see him impersonating a T-rex), never forgets his character and takes the time to sigh, staring blank for a brief moment before displaying a smile. fragile but warm (and it is a long work to reach this result, this subtle range of emotions and expressions).

\- I think so. To have managed to defeat it today, it makes me ... I should have regrets for not having been able to do it before but I am especially happy. I managed to avenge my family, my world, and that makes me feel good.

The next part is perhaps a bit too much, it's a bet but the impostor still wants to push the emotion to the end, just to see, just for the pleasure of playing a little more on the sensible chord. With a demonic ease, he bursts a tear at the corner of his eye and looks at you, expressing the gratitude of the ghost who can finally find peace and go to the light.

\- Thank you.

No need to add more, you probably understood perfectly what he meant by this simple word. Playing the embarrassment, he tells you he’ll see you soon and softly closes the door, leaving you completely moved and we do not blame you because you always had this sensitive side, because the story is false but touching and because, anyway, you are tired. How not to swallow this lie so well put together, served by a man that Fury looks with a good eye and that allows you to feel useful? No one would be able to throw you the stone and you return to your room with a feeling of warmth in your chest, delighted with the happy ending.

Half an hour precisely after your exchange, you walk down the hall to go down into the lobby of the beautiful hotel, shyly bowing to employees who detail your clothes and especially your expression in connoisseurs. Your hair is dressed and your outfit casual while highlighting you, whether you admit it or not, you made an effort for this outing and for that you get the encouraging look of a maid while you climb into the 'elevator. Nevertheless, you have not forgotten to put good shoes and you hope that your partner has done the same. The doors open on the ground floor and you go out quietly, looking for the best place to stand to wait for Beck's arrival. For Quentin’s arrival. Anyways…

Except that the wait will be nonexistent because the young man has already arrived, leaning against one of the pillars with a nonchalant air. Initially, he thought to settle in an armchair but it would have shrunk him and he likes to put his legs in value. Is he vain? Never! Careful would be a fairer term. He went down in advance, because it's charming and he liked the idea of being stared at by the receptionists. It's also possible that he was ready in advance but that cannot be the real reason it would have meant he was impatient. Not at all. Still, he smiles at you and you smile back. In a few steps you join him and you stand on tiptoe to salute him with a kiss as it is usual at home when you find a person (friend, close or colleague) that you know a little. Except that you immediately regret this gesture by remembering that it is typically French. You do not even like to kiss, it's just an automatism! You step back before laughing to see Quentin frozen in surprise, the scene went so fast ...

\- Sorry, in Paris, I found my habits.  
\- It does not matter, I like this tradition.

Without further ado, you go out under the sky tinged with a camaieu of warm colors, the day is coming to an end but your moment of pause is only beginning. You walk a few steps without really knowing what to say, you have not had the opportunity to discuss a lot since your meeting and never innocuous or normal subjects. To be a superhero is to never be able to get away from work? Probably.

\- It's funny to see you without your super-suit. As a civil.  
\- Same for you, I never saw you without your armor ... or with a t-shirt.

You tease him for his lack of clothes when he opened the door earlier. But there is a truth in it and it goes back to what you thought: you only know each other as a hero, you will have to get to know the human behind the mask ... or the bowl.

If Quentin doesn’t tell you that you’re pretty as a civil, he thinks so. You release something different in this relaxed atmosphere, even if you basically stay the same. Some heroes play a role (he can’t say the opposite), dissociate themselves from their secret identity but you, no, you seem unable to not... be you, to put a screen between the outside world and your heart. That's what makes you so vulnerable and easy to manipulate. But also what makes you different, especially compared to the calculators SHIELD agents, to the team "Mysterio" and theirs plans fueled by hate or even compared to Quentin and his lies. Some people are too pure for this world.

Your steps lead you to an area that you know too well, the declining light does not hide the black marks on the lawn, the charred trees and especially, the hole that disfigures the Eiffel Tower. You would have taken another path, it's obvious, if you had not had a little idea behind the head. While your teammate looks at you questioningly, you guide him in the crowd gathered, taking pictures, chatting with animation. It is a happy atmosphere that reigns here, as if the Parisians had won a battle.

\- They are so happy. They are alive, thanks to you. 

The young man opens his mouth to correct you and remind you of your involvement in this fight but you interrupt him with a gesture. This is not the question.

\- I wanted you to see the calm, the party, the life ... I know ... that it will not bring you back all that you lost but I hope that it will help you to advance to know that you saved this world. You are a hero, Beck.

With a nod, you show the people who dance, talk animatedly about the creature and the heroes who made it disappear, wearing green, purple clothes, paper replicas of your costumes. It was important for you that your partner can see what happens after his passage, that he detaches himself from the impression of failure he must have felt since his escape.

\- In the name of this Earth, Paris says thank you. 

Your smile is so bright that it could light the night, you look so happy to please him that for the first time since the beginning of Mysterio or even of his life, Beck feels bad. It does not last long, he quickly reduces this guilt behind the rage, hatred and ambition that animate and burn him, but it was there. Where he sees a gathering able to flatter his ego, you see a way to reassure him, he who is supposed to be a mourning fighter. The gap is so huge ... Suddenly, he wants to laugh, maybe because he is torn by various emotions such as surprise, affection and shame. No, it cannot be that, he must just make fun of you, because the misunderstanding is of gigantic proportions. Motivated by an instinct, Quentin takes you in his arms and hugs you, just for the moment that hilarity passes and he regains his composure, he can take his role and take a distance. He is not him, he is Beck of Earth 833, a character created from scratch, so he cannot feel touched by your gesture since you are addressing to a fiction. If he had been told that Mysterio would force him to such an effort of duplication ...

\- Thank you very much, Y/N. 

If you promise not to address this painful subject that is his past, you are shaken by his reaction, your body reacting to this embrace with more force than you would like. In vain you repeat yourself to remain distant and professional, you enjoy his heat, impregnate with his smell before he releases you, visibly moved. You renounce to analyse what shakes you, between compassion and attachment. The young man recovers, trying to chase the sensation of your body on his hands. His lips stretch in an amused smile.

\- You called me Beck ...  
\- Oh, give me time to get used!

You find a more normal attitude although a thousand thoughts still boiling in the depths of you. For a simple outing between partners, this evening takes an unexpected turn and you're not the one who risks the biggest if things continue to slip. Beck must regain control, the perfect control, of himself and events or he risks to be treating as unstable. And he is not. Not at all. A little boy wearing a fishbowl runs between you to join his brother and you burst out laughing.

\- Well, you have a rival. He wears the bowl fantastically.  
\- I just launched a fashion without wanting it ...

Quentin displays a grimace as he watches the child parading in his makeshift costume as if it were a marvel. At the beginning, this costume was a joke, this whole story is a big joke but full of truth: to make a superhero, you just need a cape and lasers. The helmet was just a way to stand out, among others. While walking along the Seine, you move away from the jubilant crowd to find calm and walk around at your ease. But instead of arguing, you keep silence, which makes the young man fear the worst. He guesses your thoughts in the way you bite your upper lip nervously, the corners of your mouth lifted by the fun.

\- No, no, don’t say anything...  
\- I have to ask you the question! I have to !  
\- I know it's ridiculous, sighs the hero while feeling he will have to satisfy your curiosity.  
\- But why a bowl?!

You're dead laughing just thinking about this strange helmet filled with smoke. On Beck, in the heat of the moment, it's part of the costume and it's impressive but it does not prevent that the first time you saw this hat, you've imagined a fish. The impostor shakes his head while trying to justify himself. Fortunately, Guterman has already thought about a satisfying story.

\- Initially, the outfit I’m wearing was a huge armor, a kind of gigantic exoskeleton that was used underwater and on the battlefield. The pilot had his head in an armored glass dome that displayed tactical information, the location of mines, that sort of thing. Since the equipment was used in submerged or smoky areas, a kind of oxygen-rich gas was developed which gives an opaque effect from the outside. And then, we tried to make the system lighter, more manageable. The Elementals arrived at that time and what I’m wearing was the latest designed model, still very close to the original armor with its green hue and ... its glass helmet.

Convinced by this explanation, you shake your head while listening to him, figuring this exoskeleton and an army of men and women wearing the same outfit as Beck. You wonder, however, if the young man was really a soldier or a simple volunteer who put his powers at the service of the world at the arrival of the Elementals. Your world has also experienced destruction but you have not had the opportunity to fight, you have simply been defeated. Fortunately, everything has now returned to normal, with a few exceptions. It was a strange time, that's for sure.

The hours pass, the night falls gently and you move in Paris, contemplating the illuminated facades of the Grand Palais, the bateaux-mouche decorated with garlands floating on the water. You talk about everything, the first impression that Fury makes, the fact that your partner had never had the opportunity to visit the French capital. Without noticing time pass, you finally get the opportunity to get to know each other, far from the SHIELD, explosions and threats to dismiss. Obviously, the impostor cannot tell you much about his real life but the subject is not really addressed, just as you do not confide anything of your past aside from the existence of brothers and sisters. The advantage of talking to a man from a parallel Earth is that you can compare what exists or not here, what you have in common. It goes from movies to celebrities through some monuments. You learn with astonishment that the San Francisco Bridge is blue and not red on Earth 833, that no coffee was found anywhere because of an epidemic and that North Korea was about to merge with China when the Elemental attacks started. Suffice to say that the fake hero have a great time imagining all those lies. Then comes the moment to answer the most important question of the day, at least the one that had earned the Mysterio team a half-hour of criticism.

\- Finally, we didn’t use the Seine against the creature of fire ...  
\- It was a great idea but we ran out of time and resources. SHIELD could not help us and I could not lift all that water. My powers do not allow me that. And then, it had reached such a mass ...  
\- We had to act urgently and improvise. The bottom line is that it ended well.

This point being resolved, your attention is attracted by bursts of laughter and music as you walk towards the Tuileries, discovering a carnival. With all these metal rides, it would have made a perfect pitch for Fire Elemental Beck thinks. He is guided to the first pit by a teammate who did not really give him the choice. But who does not like carnivals? To see you like that, excited for so little, reminds the young man that you are far from the people with whom he is used to hanging out. Or rather, "he used to". What to say about his female friends, totally gourds to flatter his pride or with a strong temperament for the challenger ... With you, he would not have the impression to talk with a goldfish or spend his time in battle of egos and petty games. But he quickly discards this strange comparison, you are nothing but a partner that has stuck in his legs while he becomes a great hero. Point.

You don’t wrack your brain so much, fortunately, all busy detailing the rides and stands to determine what will be the most fun. Fury has given you this evening to blow and you intend to make the most of it. At this time, multicolored lights attract teenagers and young adults like butterflies and everyone enjoys the last hours before closing.

\- Beck, is there something that tempts you?

In spite of your question, the young man remains silent, showing clearly that he has no desire to answer you. He is ostentatiously turning his back, looking the sky with an absorbed air. Not really understanding, you follow his direction (towards the corner of a churros stand) before patting his arm.

\- Beck .... ?  
\- Huh? What? I do not know Beck, you must be wrong, miss.

You look at him with round eyes, understanding his little game while asking yourself if he is really serious. But yes, apparently, he is. In fact, even he is surprised by his attitude, he is rarely the kind to tease, especially since he was fired. With a sigh, you obey unwillingly. 

\- Quentin ....

The person turns around with an amused smile, if his team saw him, they would think him crazy. But perhaps he is just in his role, perhaps he experiment a new facet of the character. What makes him think that he did not even take his headset, it’s the first time in months that he can be alone in his head. But all this does not answer your question and the young man shrugs his shoulders.

\- Let's continue to go around, we'll see.

There is something for everyone at this fair, from the French fries stand and the ghost train, to the sensational attractions and the many booths where soft toys abound. You have a hard time stopping your choice somewhere, especially since part of you wonders why you still hesitate to call your teammate by his first name. You are French, you never call people other than by their first name, unless it is a teacher or a superior. That may be where the problem comes from. Or the fact that you want to avoid any form of intimacy because you find him attractive. Do not be alarmed for so little and enjoy the evening, the monster is defeated, the night is beautiful and you’re having a good time. And stop putting him on a pedestal, it's been a good five minutes he contemplates with envy a retro stuffed toy.

\- You like it ?  
\- It was very fashionable on my Earth. I didn’t think of finding it here.

Beck looks at the imitation of Cabbage Patch Kid, where you see something old, he remembers his childhood, not the happiest besides, alone in his room with this kind of toys. What is it doing here? Whether it is the real or the false Beck, both are very surprised to find this vestige of the past, that's for sure. You search your bag for a banknote to the fairground who gives you a honeyed smile. He must take you for a idiot.

\- Hmm ... give me a minute, I have an idea.

You turn to the stand composed of cages where balloons float, you take the bow which must allow you to win a lot. Obviously, the bow is rigged. But it does not matter. While you notch the first arrow, your posture changes, your expression too and you become serious. Your partner has already had the opportunity to see you concentrated but you never had such insurance. The showman is less impressed, he has already seen many being arrogant to ultimately spend a fortune and leave with a small batch. He recalls the rules of the game with a trailing voice and then deviates to the maximum. The multicolored balloons jiggle against the elastic bars, you aim the one in the center and tape the bow before shooting. The arrow reaches its target which bursts nicely. The two men congratulate you but you do not listen to them, preparing your next arrow without losing your concentration. To win a lot, you have to burst all the balloons of a cage with a limited number of arrows. For a jackpot, you must obviously empty several cages, which requires more arrows. Even if your first stroke was not a fluke, the showman does not fear that you will leave with something expensive.

POP ! POP ! POP !

You have burst not one but three balloons at once and without seeming particularly moved. Obviously, inside, you're proud but better not to leave doubt: this shot owes nothing to luck. Maybe you've frozen the arrow to create a reaction or maybe you're just very talented. Seeing that you still have two arrows, the showman starts to get nervous while Beck is divided between two thoughts: first, he did not suspect you this talent (why Will did not tell him about it ?!) then, that it is in his interest not to make you his enemy if you have a bow in hand. The time to notch the penultimate arrow, you shift to the next cage and you display an innocent smile before exploding two balloons without even taking the time to aim. The one who thought he was making easy money is already preparing to pick up one of the biggest stuffed toys on the stand, a purple whale with a rainbow on its side. But before, you still have to use your last arrow and you feel several looks on you. This time, you take your time to put yourself in place and aim for the bouncy surface of a red balloon. Your fingers relax, the thin line goes to the cage and ... .nothing happens. No balloon burst. A sigh of relief reaches you on the side of the showman who releases the soft toy, already taking his honeyed smile to offer you a less conspicuous lot... before seeing the balloon deflate with a little inelegant noise.

\- Bravo mademoiselle, vous avez gagné… (you won)

You thank the old man, put the bow on the edge of the stand before turning to your partner. His reaction is more than satisfactory and his already big eyes are rounded by amazement, which gives him a comic air. Surprise makes him laugh and he indicates the stripped cages.

\- Does Fury know about your talent?  
\- It’s just a hobby. I’m not Hawkeye.

Modest, you shrug your shoulders, turning your attention to the huge stuffed animal that you're supposed to have won. Before the showman has the time to pick it up, you approach by shaking your head. You don’t want something so big, you're aiming for a smaller lot. Except that with your score, you have the right to bargain and you do it with a big smile but authority, in your native language which prevents Quentin to know what you are saying. But he quickly understands that you got what you wanted, namely a box and the stuffed toy he looked at. Happy, you offer it to him, looking at the puffy face of the doll. Beck takes the stuffed toy, feels the child in him jump in joy while thinking that he has interest in hiding the gift away from some eyes or he will be entitled to comments. The young man thanks you, he will not forget soon how you won this plush, and take a look at the box that you are opening.

\- What is that ?  
\- A souvenir. Are these lots extremely kitschy?

You take a black ball with a small window where floats a blue triangle. You shake it for a few seconds and let appear the famous divination message that you read aloud.

\- "No doubt about it". I think to paint it in grey and green, to give the impression that it is a globe filled with smoke.

You move from attraction to attraction with your precious artifacts, avoiding some rides where there’s need to be one behind the other or too closed. You grudgingly agree to get into the ghost train and while you shudder, Beck details with a very critical eye the special effects used, disappointing for the expert he is. When he was working for the cinema, he was able to do a hundred times better. After the jitters, you test rides sensations and if you are absolutely not impressed (you fight monsters and you fly), Quentin is quickly surprised by the unquenchable laughter that rises in you as you rock upside down at several meters above the ground or run at full speed on noisy rails. Euphoric, you burst with a laugh clear and joyful as a child but especially contagious, your partner can not help joining you without being sarcastic or petty. One more thing that had not happened to him for a long time.

Feet on the ground after being shaken in all directions, you catch your breath while around you the fair begins to empty. It is time to leave but none of you are tired, the walk in Paris continues. You go up the queue of attractions while chatting about things and others. A group of teenagers pass you by, holding in their hands the famous cloud of pink sugar that makes the children salivate.

\- What are those ?, asks Beck with interest, I have seen a lot since we arrived.  
\- It’s candy floss. Sugar in very fine strands, like a canvas. It does not exist on your Earth?

The concept of a parallel world is now fully assimilated and seeing the young man shake his head, you decide to take things in hand, especially because, actually, you want a cotton candy.

\- I really need to educate you.

You stop at a stand and ask for two wonders (sugar, sugar and more sugar), paying at the speed of lightning before Quentin can get out his money. All in all, you split the expenses fairly, but it's more because you race than because you've agreed. He has benefited from the fact that the counter was too high to pay the fries, you two are not serious at all tonight. The heroes who saved the Eiffel Tower are on break, that's for sure. It is thus while enjoying a sugar bomb that you resume your strolls along the Seine while the night is totally fallen on the capital and that a crescent moon settled in the sky without stars. In the absence of being able to visit the corridors, you admire the Louvre whose pyramid of glass forms an illuminated sculpture while exchanging on the artists common to your universes. You learn with amusement that the Mona Lisa is not unique but that the Earth 833’s one has a bigger smile. Fortunately, there are buildings that only your world possesses and you proudly present the Notre-Dame cathedral to the foreigner. Despite the fire that damaged it years ago, it remains beautiful and you explain the story with pleasure, telling at the same time the novel of Victor Hugo that relates to it.

\- You know how to enhance your capital, remarkes Beck without irony as you leave the island of the City.  
\- I ... grown up with people who gave great importance to knowledge and culture. And then, I love stories, mystery and anecdotes that surround a city. I wanted to make it a thesis topic before the Ashpocalypse.  
\- The Ashpocalypse?  
\- I think we have to call it the snap or the blip. An extraterrestrial ... made half of the world disappear with a snap of fingers for five years ...

Very aware of the events and seeing that you are struggling to talk about it, Beck decides to cut your explanations short. Officially not to have to hear them again.

\- Yes, Fury told me about it. I cannot imagine what you had to live. Were you one of the missing?  
\- No, I was there. Probably, we can say that I was lucky, few members of my family were eclipsed, apart from my best friend. It shocked her to discover that I had changed my life when she returned.

You laugh while remembering her gaping mouth when you made her aware, when you showed her the powers you did not suspect. It is above all her enthusiasm that comes back to you, she was totally ecstatic, as if you had won the lottery or discovered the existence of Pokemons. That she is in the confidence makes you a lot of good. Walking by your side, Beck keeps silent, thinking about your powers. They do not seem to come from a technology, you're not an alien (SHIELD would have informed him), so how did you get them?

\- If it's not indiscreet, did you receive your gift overnight? In an accident or something like that?  
\- We can say that ... I was on a cruise in the North Atlantic and our ship hit an iceberg. I survived but unfortunately, Leonardo Dicaprio died ...

Your joke falls flat when you see the confusion of the man whose origin you have forgotten for a few seconds. Take note that you do not have the same cinematographic references.

\- I'm kidding, it comes from a movie ... I was not bitten by a radioactive seal or anything, I am what is called a mutant. At least I think so. I had a skiing accident and my powers woke up in shock. Apparently, it happens sometimes.

You raise your hand before your eyes, the cold running through your skin emitting a slight mist in contact with the surrounding air. It started slowly, cold fingers, a glass of water that freezes, you had the chance to control it little by little, Of the accident itself, there is no need to speak, even if you see the details again, you feel the pain in your arm, the fear that stunned you as footsteps disappeared down the hall. The darkening of your mood does not escape to the impostor who wonders what you can hide, what you do not tell him. Gently, he puts his hand under yours, shuddering slightly in contact with your icy skin but bringing you back to the present. You watch him examine your hand, running his thumb over your palm as if he admires something rare.

\- It's a wonderful power that you have, it allows you to do great things.

He smiles at you warmly, letting your hand go. You forget to ask him how he got his powers, your partner changing the subject for something more innocuous. Midnight has passed for long hours when you return to the hotel and if Beck enjoyed the evening, he reassures himself by saying that he is happy to have been able to get closer to you to better get you out of his way, earn your trust to manipulate you. But let's be honest, he did not really think about his plans tonight. Tomorrow he will have to take the costume, the headset and his machinations but for the moment, he enjoys the tranquillity, trying to remember the last time he was so calm, without vibrating with anger or being devoured by the fire of ambition. It must go back to before Stark, before his career in the special effects, before he felt lousy.

The elevator opens on your floor and you drag your feet to return to your rooms, sharing the same thought without daring to express it aloud.

\- Are you tired?  
\- Not really no ..., you answer with sincerity, which is rather strange considering the day of madness that you spent.  
\- Me neither.

An idea begins to sprout in your mind and you turn to your partner, your hand on the handle of your door. After all, you've spent the night talking about movies and shows that are specific to your worlds...

\- Where you are from, how did people relax in the evening? You watched movies?  
\- Yes, we had Fastsee.  
\- Fastsee?  
\- It was a kind of subscription ... Every week, it proposed a new series that only stayed 7 days. If you did not have the time to see everything, you bought it for not very expensive. A smart way to push for consumption.

The young man congratulates himself internally for this flash of genius both amusing and denouncer of televisual bulimism. You smile without knowing that all this is a joke, open the door of your room before beckoning to Quentin to follow you, without any ulterior motive. The room is perfectly tidy, it’s always the case when you’re out of your house, which avoids an embarrassing situation. As the young man follows you, you turn on the television of the hotel to reveal the red N so emblematic.

\- Here it's called Netflix and you have unlimited access for a subscription.

An idea comes to you, crazy but fun. Who knows if your two lands do not have series in common? You seek the best known before turning to your partner.

\- Stranger Things, it exists on your Earth?

Quentin frowns at the summary, looking for ways to deflect such a phenomenon. It has something amusing to make you believe he comes from elsewhere, as if it were a game. Seriously, he pretends to search his memory.

\- Other World? Oh yes ... we are a few to have watch it until the end, the series has not been very successful. But at the end of season 1, we discover that Nine and Slugternom are one.

You widen your eyes in shock.

\- That for a plot twist! 

The game is on, you scroll through all the proposals, exchanging on what exists or not, as if it were a debate between French and Quebecker. Laid on a stack of pillows, you end up putting something that only exists on your Earth: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. A classic. Stopping you from reciting all the replicas, you look at Beck from the corner of the eye to watch for his reactions. He does not disappoint you, displaying surprise and wonder as it should when you discover the world of JK Rowling. When finally the credits scroll, you announce with a laugh.

\- For the rest, you’ll have to read the books.  
\- There is a sequel ?!  
\- Of course ... there are 7 books and 8 films.

Quentin knows that but strangely, the idea of going back into the saga with you does not really bother him. But it will not be possible, he is not supposed to stay with you, it's not part of the plan. A yawn shakes him and he grimaces at the idea of having to get up to go back to his room, it seems so far away ... You too feel sleepy so you curl up in the middle of the pillows before to talk to your teammate.

\- Stay if you want, I promise not to dishonor you in your sleep.  
\- Now I am reassured.

You two guffaw between yawns and close your eyes, laid a few inches apart even though the bed is huge. It does not take you long to fall asleep, exhausted by a day of fear, heroism, and laughter. A good day. You would have loved to sleep for a long time, or even just two to three hours, if the SHIELD had not called before dawn so you could go back to the next mission. While you finally enjoy a little rest, a bell rings with such violence that you sit up and rock the bed, haggard. In a hesitant voice, you answer Maria Hill and address a grimace to Beck who goes to put on his suit. No rest for the heroes.


	5. India, beware of water that dorms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The evening has brought you closer and you feel more assured, more heroic, even if this means putting your life in danger.  
The last, the ultimate Elemental still stands on your way. But your duo is closer than ever and every day, you learn a little more on each other. Maybe a little too much ...
> 
> #waterElemental #India #dramaaaaaa #oups #Readerisinjuried #inQuentin'sarms #Childhoodtrauma #violentfather #confortingQuentin #hug

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translated with Google traduction, sorry.
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy it

The Earth is in the shit, that's what Nick Fury thinks as you fly over Germany towards India where the next and last Elemental will appear in a few hours. The SHIELD leader looks critically at his hero duo before getting back to work, letting you sleep in your armchairs at the other end of the unit. The lack of professionalism is total but you nodded off once seated with the ease of two children, even Beck whose costume is far from comfortable. While dawn is just rising on Paris, you are heading east and the cabin is filled gradually with a golden light that settles on the white leather and your closed eyelids.

Although the atmosphere is conducive to rest, you are far from enjoying a calm sleep because your unconscious has decided to bring to the surface painful memories. It may not have been good to stir up so many things yesterday or even to return to your capital because now you are in the grip of a nightmare of cruel realism. It always starts the same way, in the kitchen or the living room, at the corner of a corridor or in the office. The faces are blurry like masks, except one in particular of which you can portray each wrinkle, each pore. The tone is cold, distant, you feel your heart beat with panic, like a mouse that would try to avoid the cat. But in the end, you always end up attracting his fury and this time is no exception. You make yourself tiny, beg while feeling the tears flow, treacherous. It starts again.

Inside the jet, the temperature drops slightly and Quentin shivers in his armor, awakened by a nearby moan. Seeing you pale and obviously in the grip of a bad dream, his first gesture is to want to wake you up but he restrains himself, prefers to listen to what you whine in a plaintive voice.

\- Arrête, Papa… Je suis désolée, pitié…Papa (Stop, Daddy….I’m sorry, mercy…Daddy)

Even if the words are in french, the meaning is clear and a small voice blows to Beck that he may be holding something important. Nevertheless, he stands up and approaches, perhaps just because Fury is looking at him. He puts a hand on your shoulder to shake you gently. His gesture is printed in your flesh, joins your nightmare to become a threat. You scream and waken with a start, catching your breath before you understand where you are. The paternal spectrum gives way to the silhouette of your partner who stands above you. His worried look and the gazes you feel in your back leave little doubt about what happened and you hide your face, mortified.

\- Oh my god, I’m sorry…

You are ashamed to have offered such a spectacle, you who try to push away such memories and reactions. You are Y/S /N, damn, not a victim to be pitied. Shaken by your bad dream, terribly embarrassed to have shouted, you tremble lightly, trying to regain your spirits, not daring to look at the man who knelt before you, by calculation or compassion. With fingertips, he touches your wrist to spread your hands and capture your eyes.

\- It's alright, you had a nightmare, it happens. It's alright.

Janice would be proud of his chivalrous side, in sparkling armor with the cape. Even if you're far from the damsel in distress, he plays his role to perfection (maybe he puts a little heart in it) and speaks to you in a soft voice, feeling your skin warm up a little as you find your calm. The panic passes quickly and you try to smile as if there’s nothing, cheeks red but stoic.

\- Thank you, I’m feeling better. Sorry for the noise ...  
\- Do not apologize; all the heroes have their portion of darkness.

The imposter knows what he's talking about with his soldier in mourning character. He puts his hand on your arm one last time, getting up slowly to return to his chair, not wanting to be too present.

\- You seem to have lived difficult times with your father ...

He does not ask you to explain, but you feel obliged to answer the questions he has; after all, he has entrusted you with his painful past, and his is a hundred times worse than yours. Chasing almost furiously the last traces of tears from your face, you shrug your shoulders and affect the detachment.

\- Let's say he was not a soft man. And that some people are so well known and respected that they become untouchable.

When your persecutor is not only your father but a prominent professor, who can protect you or even agree to hear you? You have to behave like a nice little girl, stop telling lies, not taint the reputation of the family. Do not scream, do not cry, keep quiet and wait for the storm to pass. Your mother had fully understood how to do it and as soon as she had the opportunity, she divorced to rebuild her life, without thinking of taking you with her. A daughter is very useful, so that your husband spends his nerves elsewhere. Between a child without talent and a figure of French culture and knowledge, who to listen?

\- He was not the type to ... "tolerate mediocrity". But it was a long time ago, everything is fine. I don’t intend to go back to sleep.

You sit up in your chair to mark that you do not really want to continue on this subject, turn your eyes towards the porthole while Beck remains pensive. Not because he knows how to hurt you when needed but because of what you said or rather what your father said about mediocrity. All his life could be summed up in this word: mediocre, despite all his efforts. At least, until today. He is forging a new future where he will be the greatest superhero, well above the kids in tights and narcissistic billionaires. He can easily imagine the kind of hurtful words your father uttered, he hears the same in his head all the time. His parents, his friends, his bosses and this bastard Stark, they all perceived him as insignificant. They were wrong. Before you embark on a debriefing for the upcoming mission, the young man mumbles, both for you and for himself.

\- You are not mediocre, you are worth a hundred times better than him.

When the jet lands at Kanpur airport, you are full of motivation, determined to defeat the last Elemental. Your nightmare has made you even more combative and you put on your mask with a smile. You are almost there. Close to you, Nick Fury loads his gun, gives orders to his agents on the spot. Beck remains silent, probably just as focused as you are on this mission that will close a big chapter and allow him to turn the page. No doubt he expects a lot of this day but it is especially that he keeps thinking back to your discussion on mediocrity. Without knowing it, you helped him to remember what motivates him in all this mascarade, the burning pain in his ego that makes him ambitious, calculating and unstable. Before everything starts, he must contact his team, check that everything is in place. Victoria must be ready to send the electromagnetic signal for the arrival of the monster, Will must ensure the proper functioning of drones, be ready to take into account any attacks, and Janice must give a boost on the armor and cape of the helmeted hero.

\- I will fly over the place to try to determine the areas at risk.  
\- OK. Beck, Y/S/N, disperse, you have to be ready, Fury answers between two orders.

The helmeted hero disappears; he has work to do even before the performance. Before disappearing, he cannot help turning to encourage you, even if his helmet already conceals his face. You answer with a nod and take off, you two flying each side to reach the banks of the Ganges. The streets are crowded with people, and you are horrified by the electrical wires that are at risk of being damaged, the fragile infrastructures that could collapse. In Mexico, the area to be covered was limited; in Paris, people had been evacuated, but there ... the mission may be complex. As you roam the streets, thinking about how to protect the population, your partner went back further north to find his team installed in a phone shop. Sweating profusely, Will is at work and greets his boss with a forced smile.

\- You just arrived in time, Quentin, I made the final adjustments.  
\- Welcome in an oven, greets Guterman by mopping his brow, we should have chosen a cooler country.  
\- The next time. How do you think I feel in this tin can?!

The young man shouted without even realizing it, he is on the nerves but it will pass. He undoes his armor with a sigh, taking advantage of the current of air on his bare back while leaving his costume designer doing wonders. After the attack, he will probably be in a good mood but for now, he especially wants it to start and that Mysterio enters the scene. Only a few minutes to wait.

\- We did not hear from you last night, Victoria notices while preparing her stuff. She does not complain about Beck's silence, it has allowed them to sleep a little, all those leaps all around the world are exhausting.  
\- I spent the evening taking care of some details, you know my perfectionism, honey.

The engineer agrees, noting with relief as the rest of the group that their leader is not going to hustle them too much. In general, that he uses a nickname shows that he is not likely to explode in a mad anger. Despite his unexpected rage, he immediately recovered. This does not prevent the team from activating and soon everyone is at his post, ready to launch the fourth act. Putting on his suit, Beck makes sure not to stay radio silence for too long, his eyes on a map of the surroundings.

\- It will be necessary to move the Elemental from the Ganges before it becomes too big to be stopped. To bring it to the city would cause too much destruction; there is a sort of island to the north that could be our chance.  
\- The signal has too much perimeter to determine exactly where it will appear, do it at best, Fury answers with his usual warmth.  
\- We will have to act quickly; the city is crowded and fragile.

The impostor shuddered slightly when he hears your voice, as always, you are thinking about civilians first and foremost. This is what will prevent you from interfering with the illusion. 

\- Y/N, take care of securing the bank, something tells me we're running out of time.

He is in the best position to find out, and former Stark Industries employees share a well-regarded glance before Beck flies off to join the Ganges, which is just beginning to quiver as the surface rises to the point of becoming cloudy. Bigger waves are forming but instead of coming to lick the sand, the water retreats away, forming a water column heralding the worst. The aquatic whirlpool spreads, moving in a body that screams to twist the eardrums. Prepared for this kind of vision, you fly to the creature to stand between it and the city in panic. Men, women and animals run in all directions, jostling each other to flee to the land, shouting in front of this monster appeared so suddenly. Unlike Fire, the Elemental present is not looking for a resource to increase power, it is already in it. The goal will be to destroy it as quickly as possible.

\- Fury, the island is too far, it is necessary to evacuate the nearest houses in emergency, we may need to push the Elemental in buildings. Anyway, it will try to cause maximum destruction.

Without waiting to know if they heard you, you examine the giant looking for a weak point. To aim its legs would be useless while it is in the Ganges, so you must go directly for the head. Shouting a war cry to give you courage, you go to the monster to erase the grimace of challenge on its face. The creature sends its gigantic arm in your direction as you shoot and fail to reach its head. Your power hits it on the flank, forming a frozen point in the middle of the moving wave. In rage, the natural force sends an immense wave to strike the bank, demolishing houses like vulgar LEGO. This feat seems to please it and it moves towards the city, growing several meters with each step. Its massive fists fall on buildings, flying the walls and flooding the streets, it's almost like Venice.

As the creature prepares to strike again, a green flash explodes behind its back, followed by another that hits its shoulder, causing water to run around. It has the merit of diverting the attention of the monster that turns towards the flying form that attacks, leaving an emerald smoke in his wake. Mysterio turns around the water column, bombarding it or repelling the jets of water that threaten to drown him. Reassured to know him on the spot, you make sure that people flee, clearing the rubbish that already encumber an entire area. Further, the SHIELD is evacuating the population but it takes time and there are so many people ... You turn to the aquatic giant, just in time to see it hitting Quentin hard, throwing him against the roof of a mosque which he crosses with violence. No time to make sure he's fine, you replace your teammate hoping to contain the monster while the crowd escapes.

The body of the enemy is not solid, you can hardly know if the attacks of Mysterio have greatly reduced the Elemental but that does not prevent you from taking over, reassuring you knowing that your power will be more useful than 'in Paris. You freeze it on all sides, trying to avoid the huge arms that could make you offside or prevent your boots from working. By strafing, you manage to slow it down but without anyone to hit the areas weakened by your ice, the creature has time to recover. Soaked to the bone, you take your breath, seeking a new strategy. A grunt of pain suddenly reaches you in the headset while Mysterio rises from the ruins, fists glittering with a jade light. The poor man must be sounded but no time to rest, he joins you and for a few minutes, you are two to bomb the monster with all your might. But if your offensive does damage, the Elemental retaliates by waving its members in all directions, destroying buildings that may collapse on civilians, when it is not the bubbling water that sweeps the streets and carries the crowd, threatening to drown them. This is where a Spider-man would be welcome but alas, he is not available in this area of the globe. Beck notices your concern:

\- Y/N, I need you to create something to prevent water from seeping into the city, a wall, something solid. The Elemental has been weakened enough for me to destroy it alone, but it must not be tempted to attempt anything destructive. Do you feel able?  
\- Count on me.

You do not have much time to act, if the creature regains strength, it will continue to grow and you will not be able to stop it. Very dramatic. The hero covers you while you start building a shield, using the remains of buildings to support your construction. The base promises to be solid with all the water spread but the difficulty is to maintain this thickness on all the height of this wall that you make the widest and the highest possible. But if you managed to create a slide from nothing, you can do anything. At least that's what you repeat, trying to stay focused on your work while your partner repels the onslaught of the monster while increasing his best. The thought that he can once again risk his life runs through you painfully and you turn back to the fight, following the silhouette with his thick green furrow. You trust him, of course, but at the same time you cannot help but be afraid. If he fails and dies, what will prevent the aquatic creature from swallowing everything? You? Probably not, but you will fight.

This certainty strengthens your determination and you hold out a hand towards the titanic being, throwing all you have towards him and the wall. Beck stares at you with amazement fighting on two fronts, arms outstretched and concentrated, like a super-heroine. There is a risk of damage of the drones. From his computer, Will and the others must sweat blood and water to coordinate the holograms, adapt to each movement. You who do not believe in your own power, you give them a hard time without even realizing it. All your thoughts are divided between the protection of civilians and the destruction of the threat. Mysterio takes advantage of your help to defeat the entity once and for all. At the end of his hands is a drawing similar to the pins of his cloak, a kind of triangle surrounding an eye. The same symbol appears in the sky, the hero seeming to control his smoke to grab the monster by the throat and immobilize it completely. A technique as impressive as it is incoherent: why not use it before? But nobody will think about this question, especially in the heat of the moment. Furious, the liquid giant screams its hatred and throws its arm towards the young man who stops it. Amazed, you watch your partner strangle and handcuff the creature, captivated by the emerald symbol that paralyzes the destructive force. Concentrated on the fight as well as on the power you deploy, you do not pay attention to the water column that crushes you suddenly, sending you into the wall that you built yourself. Ironic. The icy surface holds up and you fall on a pile of rubble, unconscious. Mysterio immobilizes the destructive arm, unfortunately too late for you, and imprisons it before forcing the Elemental to curl up, as oppressed by the powers of the bowl hero. With a roar of spite, the liquid mass collapses, the Ganges spreading in its bed while a fine rain sign the end of the fight.

As always in these cases, an army of journalists seem to come out of the ground and start taking pictures or commenting on camera the terrible events that have just happened. But Mysterio does not care, flying to a collapsed building to recover a body, your body. The impact was violent and your head bleeds but fortunately, you breathe, stunned but not dead. Whether he admits it or not, Beck feels relieved to hear you moan when he raises you in his arms to transport you to a safe place. The journalists go mad when they see the helmeted hero everyone is talking about, clutching at him the young woman who has seconded him (alas, the press will only talk about you as an assistant). Beck continues his way, disappearing away from the crowd in a cloud jade. But a few minutes later, images of him are relayed everywhere, as a perfect illustration of the hero.

\- Fury, Y/S/N is injured, I arrive immediately ...

As you regain consciousness, you hear the worried accent of the young man who is holding you tight against him and you feel moved even if you still cannot stir even the eyelids. Groggy, you focus on your partner not to fall back into darkness, trying to stay awake.

\- Hard to do better advertising.

The phrase surprises you, especially the mocking way Beck pronounces it, as if stifling a laugh in his helmet. Even if you cannot hear it, his entire team congratulates him on his success, his brilliant way of playing the heroes and for the heroic and dramatic final you gave him. No doubt they have to celebrate with a drink as soon as they arrive at the next destination.

\- I'll pay the drinks. Congratulations, it was a great show.

Quentin hangs up, congratulating himself for his genius without knowing that he has made a mistake as a beginner: the almost monologue of villain.


	6. Treason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The masks are finally falling ...  
Facing the truth, what has developed between you could be destroyed. Or lead you to your loss.
> 
> #truth #TeamMysterio #Hetalkedtoomuch #Illusions #imaginezlesdramaticzooms #manipulation #ohno

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translated with Google traduction, sorry.
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy it

Let's acknowledge Beck did not really betray himself. He said nothing really compromising, nor exposed his Machiavellian plan in a Powerpoint illustrated in three parts. But this discussion corresponds so little to his image of humble hero that you cannot help but feel an embarrassment. It's impossible for him to talk like this to a member of SHIELD, but then to whom could this man from a parallel universe propose a drink? You trust Quentin so you prefer to wait to know more to worry but deep inside you, a malaise is born. Contradictory thoughts jostle under your aching head and you feel your teammate squeezing you a little harder when you let out a complaint. You arrive at the jet under the severe gaze of Maria Hill and an agent who advances to rid the hero of his burden, wiping a silent but firm refusal. Anyway, the blood will easily leave his outfit so he can keep you a few minutes, poor excuse that he tells himself. The young man does not want to let you go, not until it's totally necessary. You feel him gently putting you in one of the chairs (too bad for the white leather, it can be seen as a revenge against Tony Stark), passing the hand to the back of your head to estimate the damage. The pain makes you wince and you decide to wake up, painfully opening your eyes, head like a washing machine drum. Even if you are happy to have created a solid wall, you would have preferred not to pay for it. An aspirin would be great.

Leaning over you, Beck smiles at you anxiously, to believe that it's become his favorite posture when you're in the plane. The contact of his fingers on your neck burns you, shared that you are between distrust and ... something else. You act as if nothing had happened; look at your partner carefully.

\- Are you ok, you have nothing?  
\- You're hurt but it's for me that you worry?

Quentin laughs, you have no survival instinct, and it's not like he's risking his life. After the arrival of the monster, he posted himself in a corner to direct the operations, returning on stage only to recover the applause and, incidentally, his teammate. Teammate he carefully pushes back into her seat when you try to get up to show that you're fine (which is stupid considering the fall you made).

\- No, don’t move too much until you know exactly the extent of your injury. You scared the hell out of me...

The last part is said in a low voice and when Quentin realizes that he caresses your cheek, he recoils, ashamed to have really worried about you when he is not supposed to be distracted by anyone. Maybe it would have been easier with Iron-man's protégé, a stupid teenager with whom he would have played the mentors, friendly and paternal. He was not supposed to get close to you, nor even to have… we will have to say "feelings", it is not gastric reflux he feels for you. On your side, you try to make the difference, to remain calm and suspicious to your strange teammate, despite the upheaval he creates in you. For a moment, he was so close that you could see every detail of his blue eyes. To regain your footing, you put your hand in your hair to see the damage, look at your red fingers without much emotion. It's only blood. An agent approaches to scan you, even if Stark's plane no longer contains Artificial Intelligence; it remains full of gadgets including a medical scan, a sound system and a pole dance bar. You let yourself go for the few seconds that the exam takes, learning that you suffer only a slight concussion. That's for the good news.

\- We will have to sew, you need several stitches.  
\- Are you sure ? It does not bother me to have the head open, it allows airing.

The blood does not scare you but the needles ... even if it is on the back of your skull, the simple idea makes you wince. Obviously, it will be done without anaesthesia; it would be less funny otherwise. Just thinking of the needle penetrating your flesh, you feel nauseated but you keep your calm, inhale deeply through the nose before turning to Fury.

\- I hope you did not empty Stark's reserve because I'm going to need alcohol.

This is partly to relax the atmosphere but also because you feel the urge to drink something strong. When you are handed the glass, you swallow its contents in one shot and clench your teeth, ready to fight. Or rather to be stitched up. Eyes closed, you try to think of everything except the needle that passes and goes back in your scalp, it hurts but you have already lived worse, even if you resist the urge to take the hand of Beck to grind it. It would teach him to make you doubt his good faith. But no, you refrain from any violence, clenching the jaws to the extreme until the caregiver departs. Quentin stayed a few steps away for the duration of the operation and if he does not share your fear of the needles, he is still impressed by your self-control. And happy not to risk such injuries, it is much more relaxing to stay away from everything.

\- What's next ? The Elementals are defeated, what is happening now?

Will you be able to go home, each on their own as if nothing had happened? You had a life before but Beck, what will he do now that he is on this Earth and he does not have to take revenge anymore? A little voice whispered to you that it's not over yet and that you may still hear about Fury and SHIELD, now that you've proven yourself in the field. Even if you like to be a superheroine, the idea of working for the secret service does not please you. Your boss crosses his hands behind his back, staring at you with his unique eye.  
\- We are going to Tokyo to inform the Committee that you have succeeded and that the threat has been removed. Your collaboration will be highlighted and you may be able to become official heroes.

Really ? The Committee is hiding in Tokyo? Even if Japan is sometimes attacked by Kaijus, they are not fools to avoid the United States and their perpetual alien attacks. If the prospect of meeting the Committee leaves you perplexed, a glow illuminates the eyes of your teammate. Perhaps he will become an Avenger, they need new members after the hecatomb due to Thanos. Personally, you prefer to remain more discreet, this team must be composed of heroes with a strong character and many egos to resell. No, when you were young, you wanted to be a X-woman, if you can apply.

\- The meeting is not scheduled until tomorrow so regain strength tonight. You worked well.

Nick Fury dropping a compliment is a rare and precious thing and even Agent Hill slightly raises an eyebrow, a sign that she is totally shocked. I'm joking. The idea that you can blow please you but especially, you do not have to think about the next day or the day after tomorrow, the next attack and the damage it could cause. You'll have things to tell your best friend, she’ll be impressed. Wait ... what time is it in France? Suddenly anxious, you turn on your phone that starts to vibrate instantly under the profusion of SMS, all coming from the same person, excited like a little girl in front of the images of your last victory. Oh my god, she'll annoy you about the end, it's obvious. You do not even dare open the links she sends you, the idea of seeing you vulnerable like a junk Lois Lane strongly annoys you. Well, you'll call her later, when you'll be a little less exhausted. As you arrive in Japan, you play thoughtfully with the magic ball at the bottom of your bag, resisting the urge to ask it the questions that run through your head. Beck precedes you to leave the aircraft, makes sure you walk safely before heading to the hotel.

\- What are your plans until tomorrow?  
\- Sleeping, for one or two centuries minimum ... And taking a shower too, the Ganges is not the cleanest river in the world.

You're almost sincere in saying that, just like him when he announces to be totally weary. Except that neither of you is going to collapse on their bed until morning, you have other plans. After returning to your respective rooms, you get rid of your suit and give yourself an hour to eliminate the polluted water that permeates your skin. When the day begins to wane, Beck carefully tidies up the stuffed Cabbage Patch he was holding before approaching your door, watching for a sound. But no, your light is out and when he risks a glance inside, he sees only your figure lain down, still fully dressed. Good, you’ll not risk noticing his absence.

The imposter goes out into the street without looking back and you wait until he has gone away to slip outside, only with your boots in case you should fly. You do not really know what you're hoping to find. Your partner has proven trustworthy so far, he seems invested, kind, heroic ... But it's because you do not find him a real defect that you worry, because you know that you appreciate him. Fruit of your imagination or not, you must have to find out for sure. The crowded city allows you to melt into the mass and you follow your partner for a long time before seeing him rushing into an old abandoned karaoke. Discreetly, you go around, looking for another way out.

Quentin passes the bar door without anyone paying attention outside, everyone hurrying back home before the rain begins to fall. Enjoying the comfort of his sweatshirt after a day in armor, he rolls the muscles of his back to relax while crossing the hall to join his team. Everyone has arrived and even if the faces are marked by the fatigue of many trips and hard working, it is a festive atmosphere that reigns. A general acclaim welcomes the chef who takes the time to greet modestly before accepting the glass extended by an accomplice.

\- Thank you all, we have been brilliant.

The young man has a big proud smile while placing himself in the middle of his troupe, as a carnival king since it is only a gigantic masquerade. This time, it’s for good, they hold their victory and once Mysterio dubbed at the rank of Avenger, to get hold of the technology that Stark has left to his stupid protege will be a breeze, allowing them to finally and fully possess what they all worked on in vain. But for the moment, they do not really think about the Binary Augmented Retro-Framing (B.A.R.F, what a rotten name) but rather how they managed to give life to a chimera and with so much brilliance that their helmet puppet is on every screen, every lips.

\- You were exceptional today, a real knight.  
\- Thank you Janice, Beck replies with a charming wink to the woman in the front row.  
\- Your teammate gave us a beautiful picture, we would not have done better.

Everyone laughs and their figurehead joins them, driving away the slight embarrassment that takes him by making fun of you. Rising on a piece of furniture to overhang his team, the imposter proposes a toast, beaming as if he were celebrating his birthday with all his friends.

\- Let's lift our glasses to Tony Stark, without whom we could never have gathered together to do great things. He deprived us of our creation to make it a therapy, we made it an icon.

A hateful hubbub echoes on hearing that name, which is booed with pleasure, especially now that he is dead. But it is true that it is this common anger against the billionaire engineer that allowed to form and cement their group towards a common goal. All brilliant minds feeling scorned and at their head, a narcissist knowing how to use the right words. Some have gone very far in using hate and demagoguery, but let’s pretend I did not say anything.

\- Let's raise our glasses to Nick Fury, the head of SHIELD who is so lacking in heroes that he would swallow any story. Thank you Guterman for your incredible and tearful grieving soldier character from another world, it's fanciful, pathetic but it works! We gave birth to a cliché of hero with painful past and laser shooting that the world admires and all thanks to a one-eyed man!

The excitement rises in Beck who comes alive, bursting with laughter and extending his glass to each member of the team to congratulate them on their findings. He does not forget anyone, applauding and laughing at the same time, rejoicing in their success. The atmosphere is festive, the conversations fuse, Quentin happily tells details about his comedy, the total lack of suspicion of Fury, the admiration of the crowds, the spectacular fights he did not lead. He keeps the evening in Paris for him, just talking about the disguised people celebrating their illusory hero.

\- To us and the stupid mass that would believe any story well presented. Tonight we are the future of the superheroes, the only truth that the world will see, we are Mysterio. Cheers!

He drinks before feeling a shiver running down his back, as if he were suddenly cold in this room full of people. An intuition pushes him to raise his eyes towards the floor plunged in the penumbra, at first sight empty like the remainder of the building. He cannot see anything in the shadows, but that does not stop him from putting his glass down and getting off his perch, letting the others have fun. Placed next to him, Will notices his abrupt change of mood and worries about it.

\- Something wrong, boss?  
\- I'll go check it. Make sure the drones are operational, we may have visit.

He pats the scientist's shoulder before moving away from the group, plunging into the darkness in search of a curious little mouse. Hidden away from the eyes, you clasp your hands against each other to prevent them from touching a wall, a board, anything that would betray you. Anyway, you've learned enough, it's time to leave, especially since you cannot hear the false hero bragging. As silently as a shadow, you recover on your legs to try to find the window through which you entered. But as you grope, the darkness becomes total and you can distinguish absolutely nothing, just the black that surrounds you to infinity.

\- Why did you follow me? Things were going so well between us...  
\- Stop your little games Beck, show yourself.

If you don’t hope that he really reveals his presence, you want him to speak to find out where his voice comes from. Impossible to direct you in this artificial darkness, it will be necessary to count on luck or to stop this illusion quickly.

\- You finally used to call me Quentin...

The young man sighs sadly, his voice echoing all around you as if he were everywhere at once. He's trying to sow confusion, that's obvious. Breathe and stay focused. The floor is not big, you had to cross a room, then another ... Your hand meets a hard surface and you decide to follow it, your fingers touching the wood of what seems to be a partition. Suddenly, the darkness is transformed into a familiar decor, the Tuileries fair appearing before your eyes, luminous and noisy. It's just a mirage but the realism is so striking that you need a few seconds to accept that all this is not true.

\- What are you trying to do exactly? Show yourself! 

All this effervescence hurts your head, a thousand voices echo around you, screaming, talking and having fun. You close your eyes to stay focused and continue to follow the wood panel hoping to find this damn window. Suddenly, you feel a presence in your back while Beck's voice rings in your ear.

\- You should have stayed in your room, I did not want you to get involved. 

To feel him so close makes you lose your temper and you turn to hit him, only striking emptiness while the festive scene melts before your eyes, becoming a glowing magma with a cruel face. The cries of terror replace the exclamations of joy as the Elemental rises again before you. You retreat, looking for your landmark without finding the wooden panel that guided your hand. The volcanic creature stands up to the sky, you are alone in front of it this time. No, it's nothing but an image, a holographic projection, none of this is real and you know it. Nevertheless, your legs move forward on their own to get away from the monster, you feel its infernal heat ignite the atmosphere as it grows to fill the entire space. A flash of lightning suddenly burst out of the night to hit the giant and for a split second, you feel again the relief that was yours last time. Your teammate appears, fully dressed in his armor, whirling and attacking the creature on all sides as it stretches out to reduce you to ashes. The battle is fast, intense, and atrociously familiar. The incandescent beast roars and strikes at his assailant with incredible force, but Mysterio quickly make the monster fly in emerald shards that fall like a strange rain. The young man flies towards you before landing, appearing once more heroic after having defeated the threat. Not at all impressed by his show, you glare at him as he approaches slowly, arms outstretched.

\- I would have remained a hero, your partner to defend the world.  
\- You're only a liar, a crook.  
\- But who could doubt me? I am Mysterio, the savior of the Earth, that can only be true since it is what we see on TV.

Paris disappears to make room again for a black screen, Mysterio is sharply outlined on it, much larger than normal. Around him grows a green fog that spreads everywhere, thick and threatening. Where is this window, damn it? Are you sure that you are not heading in the wrong direction? Nothing can help you then you decide to try everything for the whole and to run straight in front of you, hitting the void with your fists to avoid the walls. The smoke becomes denser, goes up to completely block the view. You suddenly hit something and step back when you notice that it is another gigantic Mysterio, the visor of its opaque helmet shining with a threatening spark. It’s not true, you know it, remember it. But you cannot stop your heartbeat from accelerating; fear slowly seeps into your mind as other men in armor appear, seeming to emerge from the fog and encircling you.

\- Sincerely, you force me to do something I don’t want to do.  
\- Do not force you to anything, you answer in an ironic voice, looking at each Mysterio.  
\- I have nothing against you but you must not go to talk to Fury. I am sorry.  
\- SHIELD is already aware, it's too late.

You look defiantly around, as if you had already triumphed over this army of illusions. But it's a laugh that responds to your bluff, clenching your heart and triggering an icy chill in your back.

\- Liar...

A few steps away, Quentin watches you trying to keep a calm and assured air even though he can see your pallor, the frown of your eyebrows probably because of the pain in your skull, the tension of your limbs under the blow of anguish. If you saw him wearing his helmet, you'd make fun of him, but you see nothing but the darkness and an inexpressible legion of Mysterio. In no case should you be able to reach Fury to reveal the trickery. Even if it breaks the young man's heart, he will have to put you out of harm's way.  
All at the same time, the swarm of false heroes advance towards you, their step emitting a martial cadence. Their gloved hands sparkle and they fire on the ground, making it slip under your feet. In reality, the floor remains solid under your soles but the mirage has been so intense, so fast, that you fall backwards on what you perceive as a burnt earth, littered with corpses of women, children, men having tried to flee an unknown threat. A few meters away, you see yourself, prostrate in the middle of rubble, your face streaming with tears.

\- Do you really think you're up to it? That you are a real heroine?

The apocalyptic setting begins to move, as if you were watching a movie and someone was rewinding. The corpses come to life, straighten up while a gigantic form pierces the surrounding haze, an indistinct but threatening monster. While your illusory double attempts to have no effect on the entity, a hero in a cloak and armor splits the sky leaving an emerald trail. He avoids the strokes of the giant with ease, strikes him in strategic places to defeat and chained it.

\- The world needs Mysterio, I'm the answer they expected.

Beck's voice is a roar that fills the whole space as the chimerical fight ends on the imposter's overwhelming and orchestrated victory. You stand up and close your eyes to try to isolate yourself from all this noise, all these illusions that make you lose your footing. You begin to flee, as fast as you can, but do not stop hurting yourself against obstacles, walls, closed doors. Every time you open your eyes, it's to see a new triumphant Mysterio, in Beijing, London, Rio, New York. Your escape leads you nowhere and you end up stopping your run, on the verge of nausea. As far as the eye can see, you are surrounded by an anguishing and creepy smoke as if you were in Beck's helmet, his laugh still ringing in your ears.

\- STOP IT!

You spread your arms projecting a wave of ice cold power that is lost in the void but stops the mocking laughter. The silence falls and you take your breath, watching for the darkness while staying on the alert. A stifled moan reaches you on your left and you turn to see Quentin, in civilian clothes, a few steps away from you. His face expresses a mixture of astonishment and pain as he raises his hand to his side as if he were hurt. Instinctively, you approach, hands outstretched and taken by a horrible fear of killing him. Your teammate is standing with difficulty and instead of expressing anger or hate, he smiles at you with warmth.

\- Don’t worry, I know you didn’t do it on purpose. You would never hurt me...

You shake your head, knowing that he's right, even if he's betrayed you, you could not hurt him, not willingly. As you approach to support him before he falls, something calls you and you step back, toying the man who has almost get you.

\- Where is your wedding ring?  
\- What?  
\- You had it when you left the hotel... bastard.

You look at the hand on the so-called injured side, bare of any ring. You were going to help him... A light fresh air caresses your cheek and you resume hope while continuing to move back.

\- You were right ... I cannot hurt you. But that doesn’t mean that I am weak.

You pray not to be wrong in this ambient darkness and suddenly toss back, succeeding in passing through the window before flying away from the bar to find the reality and the lights of the city. Beck turns off the drones with a sigh, pensive. He knows you too smart to return to the hotel and unable to contact SHIELD before him, so it gives him a few hours to think about what's next. The young man leaves to find his team and explain what just happened, while thinking of the mixture of pain and determination that he saw on your face. His betrayal has hurt you; he does not doubt it, but what he understands most of all is that you risk being a reticent opponent if he does not put you down quickly. But he'll deal with you, whatever it takes.


	7. Tokyo, the end of appearances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Mysterio to present his grand finale but your presence may hinder his plans. Unless he stops you before.
> 
> Chapter a little bit violent, I tried to stay soft.
> 
> #rain #lotofdrones #Psychologicaltorture #it'sgonnahurt #Beckisanasshole #whateverittakes #hospital #truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translated with Google traduction, sorry.
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy it

A heavy rain falls on the Japanese city, making bloom colorful umbrellas sheltering people in a hurry. To remain discreet, you only flew a few meters before melting into the crowd, silhouette among many others, indistinguishable in the night. Impossible to return to the hotel, this would be the first place to look for you and you have no idea what Beck or his band are capable of. When you think of all this destruction, the number of victims that these Elementals have made... Your knuckles crackle and you hide them in the folds of your clothes, the last thing you want is to attract attention. The icy water slides in your hair, dripping along your neck without worrying you. Your mutation allows you to not be too sensitive to the cold and then the improvised shower has the merit of calming the pulsations in your skull, allowing you to think more freely. No need to look for a hotel, you do not have any money. To sit at the corner of a street or in a park would put you at the mercy of the police and a night in a cell would be counterproductive. You don’t speak a word of Japanese so you cannot ask for help either; and then it would raise too many questions. So you move away from the center of Shibuya, walking with relaxation as if you were a tourist perfectly in your element even when you have nowhere to go. You pass in front of the luminous signs of the businesses without really seeing them, you slip between the buildings and the stores to reach less frequented zones.

After an hour wandering in the rain, you finally find a little corner where nobody will come to pick you up and where you will be able to hide until the morning. It's not extraordinary, just a small space between a wall and a bakery, but it will protect you from the storm. Ensuring that no one sees you, you hide behind the cans that litter the ground, curling up to finally let go what you hold in you. If you're asked, it's not tears but raindrops that roll on your cheeks, a rain made of rage, sadness, all those feelings that squeeze you like a vice. Your teammate's face keeps coming back to you, so proud, so arrogant, sure of his victory and his superiority. By following him to the bar, you hoped to deceive yourself, to have to apologize for your distrust. But Beck was just an impostor, a man devoured by ambition and a ridiculous thirst for revenge and the worst was that he had managed to wind you up. How could you believe for a single second in his story of a parallel world? Because he was a good actor? Because his story was sad?

\- I’ve been stupid, gullible and stupid.

Everything is mixed in your mind, the shame of being fooled, the scorn you feel for the quack, the fear of what he could do now that his fake hero is acclaimed everywhere. The last days are jostling, all the appreciable moments being perverted by your discovery. You benefit from thunder rolls to scream your anger, to exteriorize everything that bubbles until only one thing remains, a burning sensation in your chest. You can insult him as much as you want, accuse yourself of not having seen anything, shout like a fury… But you cannot, despite all your efforts, hate Quentin. That's perhaps the thing that hurts you the most. You've not only believed his lies, but you've started having feelings for him, feelings that are not easily erased. When he pretended to be hurt, you were ready to take him in your arms, to help him, even though he had just revealed his true face. Even now, soaked in rain and with your throat tied with rage, you think with emotion of his smile, of the evening at the Tuileries, of his body against yours. What was the true part of all this? You do not want to think about it, you have to stay focused, sleep a little to be able to find Fury or Agent Hill in the morning, reveal everything before Mysterio cannot be stopped. You lie down your best and close your eyes to sleep, hoping things will be better tomorrow.

Despite his efforts to go back to sleep, Beck wakes up in the early hours of the day, far from feeling glorious even if today, he will become a real superhero. He won, so he should rejoice but cannot do it. The night was bad and even though he showed his usual assurance to Will and the others, that you discovered the whole thing upsets him. He did not lie saying that he would have liked things to stay the way they were and that he was sad to have to shut you up. On arriving at the hotel, he knew he would not find you, which did not stop him from taking a look at your room, flicking the headset, the phone left on the night table, next to the magic ball. It displeases him to have lost your trust, but he has gone too far to retreat. Let's just hope that you will not be crazy enough to stand in his way because if you cannot, he will not hesitate to hurt you. And we all know that you will encounter soon. 

The young man leaves to join Fury at the appointed time, finishing adjusting his armor with a perplexed look, as a humble man who does not think he deserves honours.

\- That's not too much?

He knows full well that to meet the Committee, he has to look like a hero but it’s part of his character to stay modest. An officer shrugs, detailing the lights of the breastplate.

\- No, you look like a hero.

Hill gives him a disapproving look before turning to Beck, frowning, which must be her favorite expression.

\- Where is Y/N?  
\- I thought she was with you, the impostor answers with naturalness, seeming to think. She complained of headaches last night, she was not feeling well after the attack so she went to bed very early.

Quentin suddenly seems worried, running a hand over his tight lips as if he were gripped in a disturbing thought. The interest he has for you goes beyond the strictly professional, it's obvious.

\- Is it possible that her injury was worse than what the scan said? If she came out and something happened to her ... We still have time before seeing the committee, let me find Y/N.

If he retains a polite tone, the hero does not really admit refusal and his whole being testifies to an anxiety that he hardly conceals behind a calm attitude. This collaboration has evolved, to say the least. Fury nods with his usual scowl.

\- Hurry up and let me know as soon as you find her, I don’t want to have to keep the Committee waiting.

The hero quickly thanks the one-eyed one before going to your search, because he intends to find you before the SHIELD. Nevertheless, he must also be ready because there is only a short time before the arrival of a creature more spectacular and terrifying than the previous ones. It is a risky bet but necessary for the band of hideouts who watches over the world to roll out the red carpet. What better than a demonstration to convince them that he is a bigger hero than Iron-man will ever be? Flying over the city under a dark cloudy sky, Beck calls his team to put them to work.

\- Did you find something?  
\- No police report, no break-ins or cold spikes in a specific area. She may have just left the country...

Will's voice is hopeful, but Quentin says dryly and worried that you're not one to escape, they should have been aware of it in the last few days. You're still here, somewhere...

\- If we don’t find her before, I'll have to take care of her during the show. Get ready, this fight have to be absolutely grandiose.

At this time, Fury must have arrived in front of the Committee, at the top of the building with armored windows overlooking the downtown area. It's time to start, the Mysterio team has waited too long. A tense silence is created in the headset, each taking their post, launching the beginnings of the most titanic battle that Japan has known. The cumulonimbus cover an already pale sun, darkening the capital even as an icy wind begins to blow, hissing between buildings. Like a conductor, Beck gives his orders, placing himself out of sight to coordinate drones, wearing his strange helmet. The crowd that goes to work accelerates the pace by seeing the bad weather but they don’t not really pay attention. Until a flash of light rips through the cloudy vault, crashing into the middle of the road. The sound like a gunshot paralyzes the mass of onlookers who lift their noses to see the clouds forming a compact but indistinct form. As the pile of fog continues to grow, an electric arc gushes from a building, shattering all the windows. The storm feeds on this current, taking on the appearance of a colossus much larger than the previous ones. His body crackles as he draws in the city what to load in lightning, the wind sweeping the scene and plating your wet top against your body. Instead of running away from the others, you walk towards the entity, scrutinize it with a critical eye before looking for the author of this nightmare illusion. But in the midst of the crowd screaming and jostling, it's hard to see anything.

The Elemental of a new kind drains the capital of all its energy, each of its cries sounding like a thunderclap. We can easily guess Fury and the others watching this show in their tower, without really knowing how to stop it. No, it is not even certain that they are looking for solutions since they have a hero assigned to destroy the monster. Is not he coming in his green fog, examining the giant, thinking about a strategy?

\- Beck, what do we have to do?

The SHIELD leader looks at the titanic creature and speaks to the hero in a loud voice, as if showing authority would solve the problem faster or give him more weight even though he is helpless.

\- I don’t know, the Elementals are born and feed on the Earth, Water ... This is not natural, it is as if it drew his strength in electricity. I don’t know what we have to do but rely on me.

From his hiding place, the liar thanks Guterman for his unlikely scenario, unable to stop smiling as the artificial monster casts its lightning bolts on skyscrapers and civilians in panic. Suddenly, something catches Beck's eye, a familiar figure moving up the human tide towards the storm colossus. In a few words, he places the orders to his team before spreading the cloud around you, isolating you in the eye of the storm before rushing in turn. You don’t see him, watching the multitude of drones flying in a perfect ballet, creating complex holograms, striking the buildings to create the illusion that a monster is unleashed. You'll have to put an end to this comedy all alone, you, the small inadequate heroine, with your soaked clothes and your tired face. So be it. Looking up at the sky, you take a deep breath as you feel the cold sting the tips of your fingers, where to start?

\- Every time I see you, you disappoint me more...

The voice creeps into the marrow of your bones, paralyzing all your thoughts and making you want to hide, as far as possible. Slowly, as if you were giving the ghost time to disappear, you turn back to the man who approaches slowly, disapprovingly behind his half-moon glasses. While a terrifying creature wreaks havoc, your father advances as if he were at home, his impeccably cut suit not producing a sound. Your stomach twists in front of this apparition and you fix it for a few seconds before remembering that you are not at home, that it cannot be him.

\- You're not real, it's not you...

The mask of coldness is cracking slightly and in your father's eyes a cruel spark arises, the destructive fire smouldering under the ice. You know what that means; you've seen him going from total detachment to unheard-of violence so many times, without any transition. You can still flee; try to appease him as long as he contains himself. The professor looks at you with a mixture of hardness and scorn, as if you were a filth under his shoe which he could not get rid of.

\- Since when do you dare to disrespect me? This is not a way to talk to your father.

His intonation, his gestures, everything in him sounds true, as if you were going to blink and find yourself in the living room. Despite yourself, you stammered an apology while recoiling slightly; trying to remember that he cannot really be in front of you, that it is only an illusion, a bad dream.

\- You're not real ... It's not real...

The man in costume stops moving, adjusting the angle of a cuff as if he was totally uninterested in you, such as when he is about to give a lesson, smiling at his students or at a camera. Petrified, you look at him without daring to breathe, your heart pounding in your chest. Then, as abruptly as he appeared, the learned professor turns into a monster, his eyes sparkling with hatred, his face twisted into a grin.

\- Do not disrespect me! I did not raise you to make a fool of me!

Of the elegant and distant man, there is no trace, he screams while keeping the biting tone that has hammered you so many atrocious words. The past and the present are mingled, you see him almost knocking over the furniture, coming towards you to tear you to pieces.

\- All this wasted potential; those hours lost with you... You're just a mistake! How can you be such a failure, such a shame? I didn’t want you, even your mother didn’t want you!

You retreat your best, eyes still fixed on your father despite the tears that blur your vision and that you try to hold back. Do not cry, never cry, he hates that. You keep repeating that it's not real but the words have lost their power and your voice is breaking. Panting, you are frozen under the disgusted gaze of your parent who stops right in front of you.

\- It's up to me to decide what's real or not. AND LOOK DOWN WHEN I SPEAK!

His hand closes on your wrist, squeezing it like a vice and making you lose your temper. What you thought was a mirage prints his fingers in your flesh and you fall on your knees, staring at the ground and trembling from all your limbs.

\- I'm sorry... I'm sorry... Dad...  
\- I HAVE NOT ALLOWED YOU TO SPEAK! 

The slap hits your cheek and you can no longer repress the sob that strangles you and makes the tears run down your face. Still holding you with an iron fist, Quentin watches you curling up like a scared, vulnerable and fragile child in front of your worst nightmare. A voice tells him to stop everything, to take you in his arms and to ask for forgiveness. But his team speaks to his ear, the drones spin over his head while a fake Mysterio attacks a monster with terrifying realism. He cannot go back, he has to go all the way. The blows are raining on you, as are the insults, the words that hurt more deeply than any broken bone. Beck draws without realizing it in his own past, words flowing out of his lips like burning venom.

Laid on the ground, you articulate mute supplications, the breath cut by the sobs and no longer trying to protect yourself. Yet in the depths of your heart there is a cry, a revolt slowly gaining ground in your mind and saying "stop". You've been through this all your life without being able to find help, you've been broken, silenced for years, but you've discovered powers, something that makes you different. You saved lives, proved that you were not useless or stupid. You have conceded the blows for quite a long time, you have tried enough to show your value.

\- ENOUGH!!!!!!

You open your eyes to look at your executioner and the terrified little girl gives way to the woman you have become, the heroine you've always been. You raise your arms, straighten up by projecting all your anger, all your fear, all your frustration in a wave of power of a rare force that hits the holographic walls, freezing all the drones that collapse one by one while you continue screaming, seeing nothing, hearing nothing except your own cry of rebellion.

The shot scarcely misses the impostor who clumsily recoils as you stand up, throwing all the things you've held back into the black sky, all of anger and power. You finally face your deepest fear, you finally get on for good and it's like a rebirth. The Elemental disappears in a set of crackles and sparks as Will and the others try desperately to keep control. In the Committee’s tower, the show must be special, Beck and you in the middle of an army of inert drones, the city still smoking electric assaults. The stormy sky dissipates and you drop your arms, emptied of all energy but feeling strangely good. Exhaustion saws your legs and you fall just before two arms hold you tight to keep you from hitting the ground.

\- I've got you…

Before you even turn to him, you recognize Quentin's voice and push him back with all your strength, retreating as far as possible from this abject being who has not hesitated for a single second to risk lives, to destroy cities, to use your worst weaknesses.

\- Do not touch me! Stay away from me…

Your wide eyes stared at him angrily, painfully and repulsively, those same eyes that gazed at him with so much admiration and sweetness. Quentin realizes brutally that he pushed you to despise him like all the others, you who could not hurt him despite his treachery. Provoking your hatred is not easy, but he succeeded. Everything he has worked for seems ridiculous for a split second and he realizes that he is not necessarily the victim but a persecutor. Livid, you collapse out of reach of his arms, exhausted physically as well as psychologically while Fury and his army finally join you. Beck hears his team panicking in the headset, he has to continue the plan, to keep the situation to his advantage and not look back. He looks at the drones with all the perplexity he is capable of, thanking his good sense for being in armor instead of the ridiculous outfit he uses for rehearsals.

\- What happened? Beck, explain that shit.  
\- It's incomprehensible; this creature was ... an illusion created to make believe in a fifth Elemental. I was so absorbed in the fight that I did not realize anything; luckily Y/N destroyed the hologram.

Unable to improvise a better explanation, the master of mystification decides to divert attention by playing the card of emotion, approaching you to caress your cheek with concern.

\- She looks extremely bad, I'm afraid she's hurt...

The head of SHIELD is silent and signals to his agents to put order, nothing in his attitude helping to guess whether he has swallowed this umpteenth lie or not. In terms of offering a nice demonstration of Mysterio's powers, the bet is up but Beck feels no joy, cutting off communication with Will to be a little lonely with his thoughts.

***

Even though Fury is not himself lately, it doesn’t take long before he guesses that something was wrong. He begins by ordering the analysis of the drones destroyed, then to re-examine the images of the attack in Tokyo, those of Kampur, of Paris... Even if everybody behaves normally, the vise tightens slowly around the impostor. As the evidences accumulate, his arrest is decided and Maria Hill leaves to find the false hero, accompanied by two agents even if she does not doubt to have the upper hand in case of fight.

Sleeping in a hospital bed, you still have not recovered after the violent altercation that opposed you to the paternal spectrum, remaining unconscious to protect you, to preserve your mind slowly recovering from the trauma. The door leading to your room opens slowly to a non-medical person, the young man visiting you for the first time. He is perfectly aware that any moment now, SHIELD will come to bury him in a seamy hole from which he will never come out again. Since he cannot run away, he wants to see you one last time, even if this sentimentality annoys him. At first he was determined to turn the page, to obliterate his memory but he had not succeeded, guilt tightening too tightly. He will have to pay his arrogance, as well as all the former employees of Stark Industries who helped him. He who has never accepted defeat feels strangely distant from what will happen to him.  
In the ambient silence, the only noise is the regular sound of monitors indicating your heart rate, your temperature. Quentin grimaces, he never liked hospitals, morbid silence, people who moan. To see you inanimate reminds him of your supplications, the terror in your eyes as he hit you, he went so far to avenge himself for being scorned...

\- Y/N...

He finds nothing to add but the effect is immediate, your heart suddenly panicking as if he attacked you again. Your whole body defends itself, dropping your temperature, accelerating your pulse. The violence of your reaction surprises the young man who recedes in a corner of the room, shocked. The SHIELD arrives, alerted, and Beck lets himself be carried away, his ears filled with the discordant sound of medical devices that translate how much he hurt you.


	8. Breaking free

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mysterio collapses between Beck's fingers and he will have to pay for his actions. The question is: will the sentence be accepted? Is this the end?
> 
> Last chapter! But I want to continue .... if you liked it.
> 
> #Consequences #Redemption #Ravencroft #pain #crab #Quentinhasasoftside #newbeginning #kiss #toforgive #ornottoforgive #fear. #unstable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Undisclosed desires (MUSE) vibes for this duo 💗💗💗
> 
> Translated with Google traduction, sorry.
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy it

Your first thought when you get back is to ask where you are, in which country cause you’ve only been traveling these last days. Nothing you see through the window gives you an idea, maybe it's not even a real window. You doubt everything now. Suddenly you remember the latest events and ask yourself if Mysterio still exists. Has he been named Avenger? Has he continued his destruction around the globe? Febrile, you leave your room, ignoring the nurses who cross your path. The maze of corridors in which you evolve makes you think that you are in New York, in the main base of SHIELD. Finding where Nick Fury is hiding is not easy, but you still manage to reach his office, looking for answers to many questions that burn your lips. Impassive facing your entrance, the one-eyed politely invites you to sit down, which may not be a good thing.

\- You have not been absent very long, Miss Y/N, but a lot of things have moved. Quentin Beck has been arrested for hijacking advanced technology to create threats that he could destroy. This whole story of a parallel world and Elementals was nothing but a web of bullshit in order to make him look like a hero. But I see that I'm not learning you anything.

You slowly shake your head, remembering in detail how you ended up learning the truth about your "partner" and the aftermath of this discovery. So, he is unmasked, good. You try to imagine this moment: did he defend himself? Has he denied or accepted everything casually? What will happen to him now?

\- Where is he?, you ask without thinking, knowing already that he must be kept under surveillance in a secret place where no one will hear him shout.  
\- In Ravencroft, it's a prison for dangerous lunatics. The rest of his team is also in prison but more formally, they aren’t a threat.

Contrary to what one might think, Beck did not denounce his colleagues, he phlegmatically refused to lead the others in his downfall. These are the fingerprints found on drones as well as extensive research in airport databases that allowed SHIELD to find and imprison everyone. The Mysterio team is totally out of order and the newspapers are already talking about something else, the world is losing interest in everything so quickly. To learn that everything is finished reassures you, of course, but you do not feel joy to know Beck incarcerated. With a nod, you thank Fury for taking the time to inform you, get up to leave. But as you get ready to go out, the SHIELD leader speaks to you, as if he had read your thoughts.

\- We will contact you if your services are required. Right now, a car will drive you to Ravencroft.

This man is not the leader of a spy ring for nothing. A few minutes later, you are installed in the back of a black sedan with tinted windows and you finally take the time to give news because your friend has become half-crazy in your absence. You choose your words carefully, simply informing her that you had a slight accident but that everything is fine now. Regarding Mysterio, you remain vague, not knowing what to say. It will wait until you see each other, you're dying to take her in your arms. For the moment, you cannot really relax, you enter the enclosure of the asylum, displaying a calm remote by following a nurse in the poorly lit passages. By the way, your eye picks the name on the doors, recognizes some: Connors, Osborn ... Beck must feel proud to be surrounded by celebrities, even if all the prisoners are in permanent isolation.

Finally, you arrive in a small room separated in two by a window, a phone enthroned on each side as in movies. Quentin is already there, wearing the uniform of the Institute for Criminally Insane, looking tired even if he smiles at you. You keep a closed face as you sit down, striving to stifle your love under the anger and scorn that this man inspires you. You hold the phone to your ear, finding nothing to say in spite of all you thought in the car. It is Beck who starts, trying to continue to play benevolent partners even if everything is lost.

\- I'm glad you woke up. What you did in Japan was impressive. 

You continue to fix him without saying a word, clenching your fist under the table to keep an impassive face. The reason for your visit is no longer so clear in your mind but you know it’s necessary, for you at least. Maybe to say goodbye or maybe to show your teammate that he did not manage to break you. The latter looks at you with attention, aware that your rejection scares him more than an eternity in this creepy jail.

\- For what it's worth, I'm sorry. You are...  
\- I didn’t come for an apology. Do you know where you are?

The coldness of your voice is calculated and strikes the prisoner in the heart, that's something you learned from your father. But in spite of everything, you will never be able to be cruel or totally disinterested, it seems that it takes more to destroy the good one in you. Quentin sighs in the handset, puts his fingertips on the glass.

\- Ravencroft, a prison, if I understand correctly. But I don’t know more.  
\- You are in a bottomless pit, a hole where they throw people they want to get rid of. It contains dangerous criminals, those for whom no hope of remission is expected. But you, you are a particular prisoner I suppose. Unlike the others, nobody will remember your name, you will be a simple number, a mediocre stranger. As you have erased all traces of your existence, there is no need to sue you, you can languish here without ever seeing the light of day.

Your words could have been extremely harsh and contemptuous if your voice had not trembled for a moment. You would have loved to seek a pound of flesh from Beck, to hit where it hurts the most and get some joy. But you have to believe that you cannot be bad, or maybe you don’t hate him enough. You take a deep breath to keep your calm, look the impostor right in his blue eyes.

\- I hope it was worth it.

Maybe if he feels no regret, he will be declared totally crazy and then this situation will be less hard. You get up, get ready to hang up the phone when Quentin hits the window with his fist calling you.

\- No, don’t leave me. Stay a little longer, please.

He cannot clearly explain why he is asking you this with so much insistence, it is possible that he does not want it to end this way, or he is just afraid of being alone again with himself. Anyway, you do not want to listen to him and put the phone down before you walk away, letting Beck be brought back to his cell by two armed nurses, yelling you to come back. The place gives you goosebumps but at the same time, do you really want to pity a narcissistic being who has almost reduced cities to ashes to flatter his ego? You leave Ravencroft realizing that you will never forget this man, even buried in the most secret hole.

After a while, no one talks about Mysterio and his destruction anymore, life resumes its course as if nothing had happened. The world has already lived much worse than an impostor and some gigantic creatures. On your own, you decide to return to the disaster areas to help rebuild, erasing the traces of Beck's passage, repairing what can be. If you keep a humble character and the desire not to appear in full light, you no longer doubt your abilities and you become a superheroine where they need you. All this work helps you to think of something else and little by little, you smile again. Despite the many requests from your best friend, you refuse to talk about Mysterio and his deception. But that does not mean that you forget him, on the contrary, he keeps coming back in your thoughts. You have tried to return to Ravencroft, but visits are allowed only every six months, carefully recorded in the registers. You say it's for the best, hoping that Fury really punished the young man for the sake of his crime and not him thrown into a hell of cruel experiments.

One morning, you get a phone call, short and haughty, informing you that the prisoner 17 has requested a visit. No need to know what this number is, you are already leaving for the Institute, with more eagerness than you would like. The corridors of the asylum seem to you much more oppressive than the last time, the violent emotions that you felt then having calmed down. You do not forgive your teammate but you don’t wish him more than he deserves. Instead of taking you to the phone room, a woman in a white coat introduces you to a bare room, equipped with a table and two metal chairs. Two agents stand guard and you notice them as you sit down, as if to try to find out if they have anything to reproach themselves for. There are so many stories about secret prisons where guards torture prisoners...

\- You came…

Quentin enters the room slowly, without handcuffs or chains as you have imagined for a moment. He has lost weight and seems exhausted but what strikes you most is that his face lights up when he sees you. This heat, you have seen it a few times before, at the Tuileries, in the jet but it was fugitive, choked by Beck trying to control everything to appear the best, leaving nothing to chance. Whatever was done to him in that prison, he changed, he lost in arrogance and dissimulation. The young man sits in front of you without any guard having accompanied him, useless since the prisoner wears on his ankle a bracelet sending a violent electric shock if he becomes agitated or tries to flee. But he keeps this for himself, as well as the sting marks under his collar, preferring to contemplate you for a long time. You look different, more assured perhaps, even more beautiful than in his memories. You do not look at him with anger or fear, only with a disappointment that he expected. How can he blame you?

\- How are you, Beck? They don’t hurt you?

Oh yes, they did, in the beginning, trying to understand how his mind worked. It was a great disappointment for the doctors to realize that he had neither power nor double personality, and despite lengthy medical torture sessions, they did not cure him of his instability. On the other hand, the inmate experienced this brutal punishment as a cold shower and over time, his anger against Stark began to seem derisory. In seeking revenge, he had lost more than he had won and it was not the glory he regretted, as well as the feeling of being admired, it was the young woman who had beaten to his side body and soul. He smiles at you, seeing that you have not lost that compassion which he perceived as a weakness at your first meeting.

\- You continue to worry only about others. I'm fine ... it's like an imposed retreat, I'm alone with myself. It forces me to think. But tell me about yourself, what do you become?

Are you still working for Fury? Are you still looking to save everyone? Is there anyone in your life who protects you and reassures you? Someone for whom you win fluff, who can hear your laugh? You became an obsession for him, your memory making him pass alternately from despondency to tenderness without any transition. He spent time screaming at himself, hitting the walls before being silent for days, because you haunted him. He would like you to see him as before but it's impossible.

\- Life has run its course, I took my role as a heroine, I help where I can.

You shrug your shoulders before you decide to talk about something in particular, it concerns the prisoner in a certain way. The atmosphere is strange, as if you were two friends who find themselves after a long separation.

\- I totally cut my parents off. I invited them to lunch at home and I told them that I no longer wanted to have any connection with them, that they were strangers and that henceforth, our paths would continue separately since I was a failure for my father and that my mother had her own family. You would have seen their head, they could not replicate and besides, they did not try to apologize. It's for the best.

You will not go so far as to tell Beck that it's thanks to him, but without his atrocious illusion, you might never have found the courage to stand up as an adult against your parents. Quentin can only applaud you, he who has never had the guts to oppose anyone, and he is happy to know you rid of the yoke of a violent father. Without thinking, he touches your hand, eager for your contact for months.

\- That's good news, you've decidedly had a lot of courage ... I guess you'll never forgive them.  
\- Forgiveness has to be earned.

You gently withdraw your hand even though part of you would like to extend this caress. Your voice is neither dry nor hateful and you smile slightly, expressing the sadness that you feel about this situation.

\- You know, you had the potential to become a real hero, to do so much more than holographic tricks. You're smart, Quentin, you could have designed useful things, to protect people and to become as big as Iron Man.

One of the guards means that the visit ends and you quickly disappear, hoping to see the young man before six months. The latter remains thoughtful, reflecting on this fleeting interview and the fact that you called him by his first name. At the bottom of him is born a spark of hope that owes nothing to fury, jealousy or humiliation. He will never be a perfect man, least of all someone normal, predictable and totally sweet. But it's decided, he will become worthy of your forgiveness, even if it takes time.

His first gesture is to ask to meet Fury to tell him about his project and the head of SHIELD agrees, keeping of course under surveillance this man that ambition still devours but is no longer motivated by the same reasons. Beck begins by designing plans in his cell, spending his days and nights thinking, rethinking or exercising. His cell is covered with notes, diagrams, scattered papers that even cover the ceiling. After a while, he is moved to a secret complex where he pursues his plan under the critical and attentive gaze of the one-eyed man, using all his time and energy. He does not care if he works for the government or cannot move without his control bracelet for the rest of his life, he is totally invested in his task. Unable to hear from him, you have no way of knowing what happens to your former teammate and the time passes without being able to see him again.

***

\- Y / S / N, a young recruit is in trouble a few kilometers south of your position. Go give him a hand.  
\- This is his first mission?  
\- No, but he fell on bigger than him. Hurry up.

Fury does not bother with polite phrases and you roll your eyes while executing his order. One day maybe, you'll quit the one-eyed man to start your business but it's true that you like to give a hand and sometimes you share good times with Agent Hill. Still, you arrive at the scene of the crime, probably a bank robbery that went wrong because one of the walls collapsed and a man (probably the young hero) extricated from the rubble with a grimace of pain. His opponent, a gigantic crab man (?!), sneers, waving a bag of bills at the end of his claws in a perfect cartoon shot. Remaining serious despite the comic nature of the situation, you take over to defeat the criminal. If the carapace of the thief is solid, he has a lot of difficulties to walk right, which is an advantage for you. The rookie in trouble helps you as best as he can, throwing out what looks like plasma balls with a special glove despite his dislocated shoulder. You two come to the end of the crustacean which is stunned and frozen against a lamppost. This is a mission accomplished quickie.

\- I hope you did not piss a lobster at the same time.

Your joke was nil but no matter, you turn to your improvised partner with a smile, approaching to examine his wound. Something in him appeals to you but you have to wait until he removes his helmet so that you let out a surprised exclamation.

\- I would like to get rid of everything related to the sea, crustaceans, fish bowl ... To start over at zero.  
\- Quentin...

You look at the young man with surprise, details his less flashy outfit than Mysterio’s, less show-off. It suits him extremely well and you notice the gadgets with fun, he seems to have created his costume in every detail. Your look lingers a few moments on the ankle bracelet he was already wearing in Ravencroft, there is SHIELD there. But no matter, it's a big surprise. You take Beck's arm to put his shoulder back in place, smiling in spite of yourself. You are so happy to see him again, free and obviously on a new slope.

\- You don’t have your cloak anymore...  
\- It was kitsch and very impractical. OUCH!!!

His shoulder is recovering with a loud snap and the hero stifles an expletive while you look absolutely not sorry. You look at each other, tight without wanting to separate, your hand resting on his chest, feeling the beating of his heart. You missed his perfume, his sidelong glances, his smile so easy when he did not feel observed... Your hand slips on his cheek, brushing his beard to get lost in his hair while he puts an arm around your waist to never let you go again. Rather die than lose you a second time (this sentence makes no sense). You catch his lips in a long kiss that you've been waiting for a long, long time.

\- I missed you.


	9. Bonus : Venom tastes so sweet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hero duo puts an end to a terrible hostage-taking from which they emerge with simple bruises. While they are enjoying a moment of well-deserved calm, Quentin collapses...
> 
> Is he faking or sincere, only you can judge. Even as you have become a hero duo, a deadly poison may well jeopardize the fragile balance you have built.
> 
> #hostage-taking #snakes #mutant #fight #venom #fainting #drama #death #violence #unstableQuentin #fear #stayingalive #coffee #fever #pain #comforting #kiss #soft

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My only medical knowledge is based on series so my apologies for the inconsistencies. We’re talking about a fic with superheroes, fuck realism.  
Translated with Google trad, sorry ^^
> 
> Enjoy <3

Your boots hiss slightly on the waxed floor, sometimes imprinting on an abandoned sheet, a contract that panic sent to waltz. It’s easy to imagine the hostage taking, especially the clients' panic. If neither of you say a word, you and your partner are apprehensive about the same thing: traces of blood. Are there any injured people? Will you save everyone? SHIELD has not prepared you for this kind of situation (or any other), you are alone with an headset and your costumes. Suffice to say that you are far from comfortable, even if you hide your worry, heroes are not allowed to be afraid.

\- Let’s recap one last time: there are a dozen hostages locked up in the bank’s vault. The criminal's name is Klaus Voorhes, his body has been genetically modified and he has the flexibility of a reptile.

Quentin makes a face as he lists the facts, hardly imagining a man covered with scales waving on the ground. Of course, he has seen strange things before (he is a New Yorker) but lately, he was the one who created monsters. However, the hostage taker’s mutation is not the only element that challenges you and that you must think about.

\- Let's not forget that he brought snakes that obey him, we will have to be vigilant and prevent them from attacking civilians.

Your partner agrees as you go over in your memory what to do in case of a bite, how to treat the victim... Let’s hope SHIELD will not need their medical unit. At first glance, it would seem that the hostage-taking was not planned, that it must have been only a robbery, otherwise, the criminal would have already made his conditions heard. Maybe he'll be more accommodating, if the panic hasn't made him go mad.

It is on this uncomfortable thought that you go down to the vault where muffled sobs resonate but also the light, persistent whistling of several cold-blooded creatures. A shiver runs down your spine when a long, deep yellow body slides towards you, gauging yourself with the tip of its forked tongue. Voorhes probably knows that you are there, now negotiations will begin. The man orders you to enter the room, his voice betraying the anguish that grieves him. Curled up in a corner, the hostages watch you move forward with a mixture of hope and disillusionment, they would have been more enthusiastic in front of Thor or Spider-Man. But their preferences matter not, you especially notice the man lying on the lap of an old lady, his eyes closed and his face bathed in sweat. His ripped pants and the suppurating wound speak volumes about what may have happened. With a glance, you communicate with your teammate: you will have to act quickly. You advance slowly, your palms raised, under the inquisitive gaze of the criminal, leaving Quentin to look for the best words, he's the good talker. Klaus points a small blade at him, speaking hastily.

\- Are you coming to arrest me? Huh ? Are you coming to kill me?  
\- No, we're here for the hostages, just the hostages. We do not intend to harm you if you cooperate.

Even if the young man is far from being at ease, he said these words calmly and firmly, drawing on his acting talent. The criminal fixes him intensely by analyzing each of his words, he must save his skin first and he feels trapped. Doubt is slowly creeping into his bones and the hand holding the blade is trembling slightly, indicating that he is considering his various options. Sketching a gesture towards the civilians, I keep my hands up, indicating the wounded.

\- This man needs care, let them go quickly or you will have his death on your conscience. Nobody wants you to be a murderer.

A small snake, thin as a finger, slides over your shoe, emitting a warning whistle to prevent you from moving forward. His master looks at the injuried hostage and at Quentin's face, his eyes moving from one to the other in a frantic movement. With a simple gesture, he can order his venomous henchmen to decimate all the civils, you must quickly shelter them before he gives in to a bad impulse.

\- You don't need them, they're just civilians. Let them go, we'll stay with you to negotiate, you'll take your time. Okay ?

Articulating slowly while maintaining a serene tone, your partner captures the attention of Voorhes as he knows how to do it well, ultimately using his bagou wisely. As the reptiles continue to wave around your ankles, Beck takes a few steps towards the hostage taker who thinks for a long time. Is the market offered by the hero honest? If he lets the civilians go, can he get out? After an eternity of reflection, he finally raised his nose and nodded, waving his blade.

\- Okay, they can go out but you, you stay there! I don't want a trap, the hostages come out if you stay.  
\- That’s fine, we won’t move.

It takes a little while for people to understand that they can run away and when they decide to move, it is with infinite precautions while keeping the criminal and his snakes in view. The injured man groans when the woman who supports him stands up, he cannot get up alone, that is obvious. Without thinking, you approach him despite Klaus's angry exclamation to which you respond with an annoyed click of your tongue, you have no intention of leaving, just helping this civilian. Wrapping an arm around his waist, you lift him while ensuring that he does not rest on his injured leg. You struggle to transport him out of the vault where a huge boa snaps its jaws to stop you from going any further. Docile, you stand still, leaving two men who take over and move slowly under the weight of their burden in the few steps that separate them from freedom.

Now, Beck and you are alone against the reptilian criminal whose nervousness is almost palpable. He no longer has any leverage, but it seems that your partner has managed to put him in confidence. It's up to you to take advantage of this lull as effectively as possible. The palms of your hands turn pale as you begin to lower the room temperature, imperceptibly. If you are not too bad at herpetology, the swarming mass that undulates at your feet should fall asleep and cease to be a threat.

Quentin continues to watch the hostage taker and to capture his attention, regretting his sparkling armor that dazzled so much. He can only count on his look and the art of words, which is already a good asset. He has already been able to get out of complex situations with less than that. His great talent is knowing what people want to hear and who they are at a glance. His critical eye gauges the opponent, he is armed only with a blade and does not have a very imposing stature, in a melee, the hero will have the upper hand easily. The whistling are reducing, a sign that your plan is working, it’s up to the surprise when the time comes and to arrest the criminal.

\- We can talk. Klaus Voorhes…  
\- Cobra. My name is Cobra.

Internally, the one who called himself Mysterio laughed, pseudonyms can sometimes be more ridiculous than scary. However, he refrains from any comments, still retaining the mask of the peacemaker even if the corner of his lips rises for a fraction of a second. If Gutterman overheard that, having been rebuffed so many times with his proposed names, he would probably glare at him. What is he becoming now?

\- Cobra… Civilians are safe, if you surrender, I'm sure SHIELD will take your cooperation into account.  
\- I don't want to surrender, I want a car, a fast car!

A malicious glow illuminates the yellow eyes of the criminal who looks at you while straightening up slightly. This is far from a good sign and you are preparing for the attack, discreetly. The regained confidence of... Cobra (laughs) does not bode well and he is looking down on you.

\- Actually, no need for a racing car, I'm just going to run away through the sewers. But before, I will prevent you from following me. Definitely. You are going to die. KILL EM !

His cliché villain’s line finds no result on the side of his scaled minions who lie on the ground, rendered apathetic by the cold which has started to reign for a few minutes. An awkward silence settles for a few seconds, Voorhes' greenish face translating surprise, confusion then anger. Considering that he had waited long enough for his surrender, Quentin struck the first blow with one of his plasma cannons, hitting the criminal in the chest. If a real hero is not supposed to attack before the enemy, you take care not to point it out to your teammate, you are sent by SHIELD and, therefore, you are not recognized as real heroes... Cobra staggers under impact before reinsuring his support and emit a whistle as one of his companions. As Beck prepares to strike him a second time, the criminal dodges the luminous projectile by twisting his body, dismantling with disconcerting ease. A gut of disgust takes you and the same shock can be read on the features of your teammate who, surprised, does not react quickly enough to avoid the kick that cuts his legs and sends him to the ground, the ankle of the opponent wrapping around his calf to drag him on the ground.

\- What the f…

Quentin clings as best he can to the drawers in the vault and tries to make the strange creature let go by shooting at him, but Voorhes takes pleasure in dislodging himself to deviate from the trajectory, sneering at feeling powerful. The hero quickly finds himself without ammunition, he does not have time to wait for his weapon to recharge, he then tries to straighten out to hit the elongated member but it is like attacking a rubber hose. Fortunately, even the gums do not appreciate a sudden cold and Beck feels suddenly released when a patch of frost appears on the thigh of Cobra. The enemy curls up with a cry of pain, giving you time to help your partner, a hand raised in the direction of Voorhes to dissuade him from moving forward.

\- My guns are H.S, we're going to have to go hand-to-hand, murmurs Beck, making sure his leg has nothing.  
\- I can keep it at bay, don't take unnecessary risks. We don't even have handcuffs ...  
\- He is so flexible that it would be useless.  
\- Do you think SHIELD will send us men?

Quentin's look speaks volumes about his confidence in Fury, you are alone. But whatever, the snakes are still amorphous, you are facing only one enemy, you can perfectly manage. Beck just needs a little time to get his equipment up and running again, so he takes a step back when you look at Cobra with all the confidence and disdain you can handle, crackling palms.

\- Approach, worm.

The ceiling is not high but you use your boots to gain momentum and throw yourself towards the criminal, diving to the side at the last moment to send an icy salvo that Voorhes narrowly avoids, his yellow pupils sparkling with hate. You have captured his attention and you aim at his legs to immobilize him in a thick layer of ice. But the hostage taker is disgustingly flexible and manages to free himself before the cold takes hold of him too much. A dart whistles near your ear as Klaus reveals two bracelets hidden in his sleeves. There is no doubt that this is poison, you are extra cautious and attack more violently, a fight between you starting with shots that you avoid as best as you can.

\- It's over, doll. With or without my snakes, I will give you your last breath!

While threatening, Voorhes ignores the young man who pounces on him with all his might and begins to hit him, having approached silently. (It changes from these heroes who reveal their position and spoil the effect of surprise with a punchline as lively as stupid). Destabilized, the criminal felt the bones of his jaw crack and rolled on the ground, the violence of the punchs preventing him from reacting and shooting Quentin. He shakes himself in vain, scraping the hero's neck with his knife without managing to do more. Beck continues to hammer him until his arms tire and the Cobra's face is covered with blackish blood.

\- There, we would need handcuffs, notices your teammate while catching his breath.

You nod your head without daring to claim victory and approach your partner to invite him to step back, you don't like to see him near the reptilian criminal. The young man stands up and you place yourself between him and the inanimate body, running a hand over the superficial wound on Beck's throat. You are doing well, now bring the mutant to Fury to be locked up. But when you both think you're done with the criminal, he opens his eyes and rushes straight at you, too fast for you to react. With surprising speed, Voorhes slides on the floor and presses you against one of the walls, winding in a flash, blocking your arms and legs in an embrace that tightens suddenly. The pressure expels air from your lungs and you open your mouth without breathing, trapped in this human boa constrictor that blocks your blood circulation. Unable to use your powers, you feel weak as your brain struggles to think.

\- I'm going to kill your friend and then it'll be your turn.

Cobra relishes this turnaround, looking at Beck in the hope of seeing him panic or even beg. But no, the hero remains very calm even if inside, he analyzes all the possible options so that this mission ends well. A slight noise coming from his wrists offered him a solution and he approached the criminal, trying not to look at you too much for fear of revealing the anguish that gnawed at him. He’s gonna be calm, as long as he doesn't pay attention to your whitening lips or your weakening body.

\- It takes more to kill us. This is for Y/N

With his fingertips, he grazes the controls of his cannon before sending a gigantic attack directly into the Cobra’s head who collapses, knocked out, dragging you in his fall before remaining human proportions. Stunned, you cough while trying to breathe, your senses still clouded by the lack of blood in your organs. You are only half aware of the hands that feel your cold skin and lift you so that you breathe better but you recover quickly, discovering yourself huddled in the arms of a Quentin who no longer hides his anxiety.

\- Don't worry, I'm fine, you tell him in a hoarse voice, patting his sleeve.

You don’t yet have the strength (or the desire) to move away and your partner does not seem quite ready to let go, not until he is sure that you can stand up. Being a hero was much easier with drones and staging, Beck knew in advance what was going to happen. Although no... you were always an unpredictable element, even when he didn't worry about seeing you die. Numb, you wave your fingertips and eventually get up slowly, sending a smile to your teammate to show him that everything is fine. The hostages have been released, the criminal is K.O, so this mission is a success.

\- Congratulations Beck, once more, you acted like a hero.

The person concerned feels a burst of pride rising in him, it is probably his ego which appreciates this gratification. He is not in the spotlight and crowned with glory but he enjoys playing vigilante, even if it involves its share of dangers. With a falsely modest smile, the young man straightens up by adjusting his suit.

\- Yes, I was excellent.

Janice would have swooned like a mother extremely proud of her offspring, there is no doubt about it. She would have overwhelmed him with compliments while Will discreetly wiped away the sweat that had dripped on his forehead. With his usual confidence, Quentin would have smiled at them, claiming that everything had gone according to his plans and that is what he does with you, with a little more humility. Close to each other, you leave the bank while SHIELD agents come to take the reptilian criminal. Now that it's all over, they're finally here.

The problem with pretending to be dead is that it is difficult to find a home. Especially if you "belong" to Nick Fury. Your teammate therefore has no choice but to live on the spy agency premises and if you are not ready to do the same, you are trying to spend the majority of your time there. You are definitely a good soul. This explains why you find yourself lying on a bed rethinking your day while Beck finishes taking a shower. The adrenaline has left your muscles and fatigue is starting to take over, a small coffee would do you the greatest good. Afraid of falling asleep (it has happened before), you sit up on your elbows as the sound of the water stops. Your partner returns to the bedroom to put on a t-shirt, immodestly exposing his torso which seems more muscular than in your memories. His stay in prison may have done him good in the end... You look at him with a touch of admiration and he looks back at you, rounding his eyes into blue beads that are both creepy and comical. The same burst of laughter takes you and Quentin thinks of how lucky he is to have you and that you have forgiven him. Obviously, he knows that you are still wary, that you have not forgotten the past in a snap of your finger but he who has been nourished by revenge and hatred for years can only be impressed by your ability to go forward. After smoothing the adhesive plaster on his neck, the young man settles down next to you on the mattress, letting out a sigh. 

\- I only want to stay like that for a year or two.

With a nod, you approve this very attractive plan, but it will have to be postponed.

\- It's been weeks since we promised each other to go for coffee, to go out for a bit. Don’t give up so close.

Your superhero life, especially since working for SHIELD, leaves you with few opportunities to relax and have fun so, yes, a simple coffee is a way out. After lying for long minutes thinking, Quentin lets out a resigned sigh. Even if he's exhausted, he still wants to join the outside world.

\- Okay. Let's go before I fall apart completely.

He pats your knee to give you courage and slowly straightens up, waiting for you to do the same to head for the door. Let’s go to the nearest Starbucks!

It’s almost strange to find yourself like that, quiet in the queue when barely a few hours ago, you were preventing a reptilian criminal from robbing a bank. Fortunately, apart from a few aches, this is already just a memory. As you patiently wait for your turn, your fingers flicker and intertwine. If none of you are trying to spread your hand, you turn to your partner, wondering where your duo is going. There has been nothing since catching the crab-man, since you kissed, and the mission stream has been so intense that you haven't had a chance to discuss your relationship. What was no worse, it allowed you to establish a bond, the kind where everyone repeats "I want to enjoy it as long as possible". Your beginnings were marked by lies and a certain violence, especially psychological, it is normal that you walk on eggs.

So I said that you turned back to Quentin, when you lightly squeeze his fingers looking for what to say before getting lost in his eyes (it sounds so cheesy...).

\- You look awful, Beck.

What is absolutely true, your teammate has drawn features and a pale complexion, probably the fatigue, it is time to order your drinks and get settled. That's good, the armchairs in the corner make you eye. Your remark makes the person laugh, he feels that he is not in his best shape and it always makes him very weird to return to his missions bruised or, in this case, nauseous. He can never say it enough, life was simpler when the enemies were virtual. Or maybe it’s that damn bracelet that tires him out of clogging his ankle. This thing weighs a ton and the young man remembers too well the electric shocks that the machine can send. But he will get rid of it soon, he promised himself. He just has to keep playing the game for a while and then he will be free and away from Fury. Just thinking of the one-eyed director, the hero feels freezed. Wait, it's not norm...

\- Y/N ...

Suddenly, Quentin collapses, his shoulder hitting the pastry shop window without him realizing and you awkwardly catch him before his head hits the counter or the floor. Already, customers are panicking, they offer help to support the young man and install him in an armchair (well, you finally got them) where he regains consciousness slightly. Trying to internalize your concern to remain effective, you straighten him while wondering what could have happened, slide your hand over his forehead to refresh it. Beck doesn't understand anything about what has happened or the hubbub that surrounds him and which only increases his discomfort. He was standing looking at the menu and the next moment was black. To open his eyes is difficult, the light is too strong, he can see nothing but blurred silhouettes. His shoulder is painful but he mostly raises his hand to his neck where a stabbing pain has turned into a burning one. He tries to tear off the bandage and you help him, discovering in the open air what was only a scratch. The flesh around the wound is swollen, tinged with a bluish purple absolutely not reassuring.

\- L’enfoiré…

Even if a burst of rage rises in you, you prefer to focus on your partner, trying to repel the mass of well-intentioned onlookers while waiting for help to arrive. The urge to isolate yourself behind a wall of ice is gnawing at you but it would be far too impulsive and dangerous, you can only wait and watch over your friend. Quentin focuses on your voice as the pain eases a bit and his vision recovers. Slowly, he stands up, waving his hand as if to chase away what has just happened.

\- I'm fine, I'm fine.

For the peaceful moment, we will wait. Already, the hero begins to analyze his loss of consciousness, the pain in his limbs and his melee with Cobra. It was not that he lacked vigilance but his outfit was poorly designed, it exposed his neck. Amateur work. But it must also be said that he was unprepared, he knew practically nothing about his enemy and especially his weapons. This is not how he will become a great hero.

\- Quentin?

The course of his annoyed reflections is lost a little and the young man looks at you, aware that he did not hear what you said. Your whole being breathes worry, he had never seen you so anxious since Paris. While the ambulance sirens are ringing outside, your partner drinks the glass of water you are handing him before smiling to reassure you.

\- Don't worry, everything is fine. It takes more to reach me.  
\- I had to saved you from a terrible spider last Saturday.  
\- Yes, but it was huge!

Even if the anecdote is real (he can't stand spiders), you both laugh before the young man is lifted by the nurses. That the vehicle drives you to the secret base of SHIELD only surprises you halfway, you have not forgotten the bracelet that informs Fury about all of your partner's movements. At least, he will be treated quickly and without suffering suspicious looks. The stretcher slides down the concrete corridors, the austere neon lights bringing out your friend's pallor. You adopt a detached attitude but despite all your efforts, you never stop thinking about the infected wound, how much time do you have? Quentin is installed in an infirmary as unwelcoming and warm as the rest of the building and you notice that someone is already occupying the next bed. These features contracted by pain... hard to forget the injured hostage, lying motionless on the mattress. As you approach, he utters a painful groan while rolling haggard eyes and you instinctively place yourself between this morbid vision and your partner. A male nurse thinks of drawing the curtain, creating a thin white screen between you and the terrifying reality. The meager attempts to lighten the mood are dead on your lips and you remain silent while doctors examine the hero, connect him to a monitor without speaking to reassure him or even explain what is going on.

\- He was bitten and you only have a scratch. They're going to give you an antidote and you'll be on your feet quickly. We'll take an evening off, I want to see how you dance.

Without realizing it, you took his hand in yours and you feel him squeeze them very hard when a long needle comes to collect his blood for analysis. Despite everything, he tries not to look worried, even if the pain can sometimes be read on his face. Unless it was comedy but he stopped these games, right? He seems to be thinking about your proposal, grins slightly as he tries to remember the last time he danced. He felt extremely classy but the others ... did not seem to agree. Regardless, it was probably too dazzling for them. Painfully, he is trying to straighten up but the effort seems to cost him and you push him gently on the pillow, feeling his heart beat quickly under the t-shirt.

\- Get some rest, the day has been long and you haven't even had time for coffee.

You spare his susceptibility, nobody likes being in bed or feeling diminished and especially not someone with such a developed ego. Even if he plays the brave, it is obvious that your partner is not feeling well and that his condition will deteriorate if the doctors do nothing. Quentin complies with a sigh of protest that mingles with a groan, a stinging pain enveloping all his members.

\- Whatever I do, it looks like I'm only good at causing you concern...

He gives you a sheepish smile, you will end up having wrinkles by dint of being always worried and frowning. You are not trying to disabuse him, adjusting his pillow before letting your fingers touch the purple wound that bars your partner's neck, thin and threatening. The cold contact against his feverish skin makes the injured person shiver, guiding your hand to the hollow of his throat, your freshness makes him feel good. Slowly, Quentin turns his head towards you, his tired blue eyes showing how grateful he is to have you by his side. Your faces move closer as he whispers his gratitude in a hoarse voice, burning with desire to draw you closer, ever closer. You have the same desire but you prefer to break this tender moment, placing a kiss on the young man's forehead before moving back slightly.

\- We are a team, Beck, we share our concerns and our victories.

Obviously, you want to be with him, to slip your fingers through his hair and take him in your arms but something is preventing you. A remnant of mistrust perhaps, unless it is a deep anxiety. The situation is obviously not the same but you can't help but think of Paris, when you thought he was dead, lying on the pavement after having faced a monster of fire and lava. This scene, edited from scratch, deeply marked you and even after discovering the deception, you continued to see Beck inanimate, as a martyr hero, and to think back to the fear that had seized you at the idea that he would be dead.

The frantic noise of a panicking monitor pulls you from your thoughts and you see a group of women in white running behind the curtain, silhouetted like on a screen of shadow puppets. They are cursing themselves in a language that you do not understand when the wounded man seems to be suffocating, his body convulsing by clicking the metal uprights of the bed. His knotted throat prevents him from expelling the cry of pain that compresses him and completely suffocates him. In a final jolt, his heart stops and he falls softly, disarticulated puppet of which you can only distinguish the shapes behind the sheet. Doctors tried to revive him, without success, and soon they turned off the monitor, leaving the corpse to inform Fury and those looking for an anti-venom. A dead silence follows the din of the last moments and you dare not take a breath or release the pressure of your joined hands. Quentin feels you fighting against the tremors which threaten to shake your body, just as he does not lose anything of your eyes which are likely to be veiled in tears. But no, you swallow your shock as best as you can, stiff and pale like a statue of Justice. Breathe in, breathe out deeply ...

A woman in an impeccable blouse approaches and hangs a slightly green translucent pocket before pushing the drip into the arm of your partner without giving an explanation. That done, she finally deigns to give you a look and informs you with a slight accent.

\- We haven't found a remedy yet, but we do know that you and the civilian have been poisoned by the same venom. This should slow down the effects and delay your death until we find out more.  
\- You have nothing more specific to tell us? What venom is it? How fast does it evolve in my partner compared to the hostage?

You call her in a calm but cold voice before she has time to move away. No doubt you are already thinking about all the options, all the B plans that could exist, Beck sees it clearly on your face. Caught off guard, the doctor refrains from playing with her dark braid in front of this little woman who looks at her as Fury could do, with intensity and severity.

\- It comes from a very rare snake, so rare that we never had to find the antidote. Its effects seem to differ from one subject to another but I have the impression that it is more terrible in small doses, more painful.

Under your dark gaze, the young woman settles a little, regretting having spoken with too frankness. Usually, she is in her laboratory, giving orders and studying specimens, not justifying herself in front of a stranger. You feel your whole body stiffen and as you try to keep your cool, your eyes rest on your partner's temples bathed in sweat, on his jaw clenched by pain and his fatal pallor. Impossible to know how much time he has left. Control yourself a little more, stay calm and swallow the terror that knots your stomach. You remain silent, which gives the doctor time to leave, relieved that you did not ask about the translucent perfusion, a simple mixture of seaweed and completely harmless water. There is no doubt that this placebo will have no effect, the hero is already far too ill for it to work.

Your chest rises quickly as you try to breathe, gaze fixed on the closed door. The hand that holds Quentin's is so tight that your knuckles have whitened, matching your face which only conveys the anguish that gnaws at you too well. No, you must not crack, it would be unfair to your partner, you must support him ... But you feel on the verge of exploding, your emotional barrier is already cracking. Is he going to die, is he really going to die? It is not possible, he made mistakes but he does not deserve that. Your jerky breath, not to say panicked, calls Beck who fears that you are doing harm yourself. Before analyzing the doctor’s words, he should take care of you before you get unwell or your power starts to flow. Repeating your first name to get your attention, he wraps an arm around your waist, slipping the other behind your back to draw you against him and calm you down. Without thinking, you let yourself go in his arms and tears begin to run down your cheeks, first gently then more forcefully. The accumulated tension gradually dissipates and you find a more rested breath, entwined with the man for whom you are so afraid. The latter does not say a word and lets you cry without even being annoyed to feel his t-shirt become soaked and sticky. Obviously, he thinks about it but it doesn't really bother him. Part of him is touched to see you in tears, you cry for him and it is the first time that someone has shown such empathy towards him. It’s a very strange feeling but it’s like you’re taking part of his pain. 

\- Oh my god…

The crisis gone, you realize how selfish you are to pour out on your teammate when it is he who needs comfort. Frantically, you try to wipe the streams on your cheeks and awkwardly straighten up, sputtering excuses. You are really ashamed of your behavior but it was stronger than you, you were exceeded. In the absence of a tissue, you use your sleeve like a child to try to stop the salty flow.

\- I'm sorry, I shouldn't cry when ... Excuse me, I suck...  
\- Don't apologize, it's going to be fine.

You’ll end up irritating your eyes and cheeks from rubbing your sleeve. Quentin takes your face in his hands and lifts it up slightly so that he can meet your eyes. His thumb exerts a slight movement from your cheekbone to your lips and he smiles at you tenderly, making thin lines appear at the corners of his blue eyes. He tries to be relaxed and reassuring, taking the softest voice he has in his repertoire.

\- We'll survive this together.

It's a promise he makes to you, he intends to survive so that he can continue to be your teammate. Besides, it would be really stupid to die like that. As if to seal this oath, you close your eyes, your foreheads leaning against each other. The anxiety that paralyzed your thinking gradually fades and you regain some hope when you feel Quentin against you. He’s alive and he will stay alive, if he’s confident, you have to be too. The injured man falls back on the pillow with a groan of pain but smiles at you while thinking of something.  
\- Can I tell you a secret?  
\- Of course.  
\- You will not believe me ..., he blushed slightly making a face. Do you remember when we defeated the crab man and we ended up?  
\- Yes… (how to forget such a moment?)  
\- Well ... it was my first kiss.

Your surprise is matched only by his embarrassment and he looks away, knowing that having his first experience at 32 is quite surprising. That doesn’t mean he’s ... totally inexperienced, but he has never had a chance to taste the lips of a woman (or a man) or have a serious relationship. Seems like his slight mood swings were not to the taste of some. To prevent him from being even more ashamed, you refrain from any comments but touch his mouth with your fingertips.

\- Survive and you can repeat the experience.

How to say the opposite to a dying man, a sexy dying man ? The hero laughs softly, very tempted by this proposal, and closes his eyes to rest a little. Except that he begins to think seriously about the situation. If the actor succeeds in maintaining a heroic mask of calm, inside, he is simply terrified. How to blame him? As a child, he was convinced that hospitals were a pantry for the monsters who came to eat the sick, and if this belief has faded over the years, a dull horror has endured in adult. Beck looks at the dark walls, the thin pallid sheet that separates him from a dead man, and thinks that he is probably having one of his worst nightmares. It is out of the question that he dies like that, alone, trapped in pain and unknown. He is not one of those who die silently and who we forget. No. He will fight to the end, provided he has the opportunity. He feels your hand spread a wick on his forehead, he has no right to die, not after what he did to you. And then, it would be really unworthy of him, he deserves much better than dying anonymously in the basements of SHIELD.

Besides, what can Fury scientists fabricate for not finding a cure ?! Aren’t you supposed to be in the top secret organization in the United States, with state-of-the-art equipment and experts in all areas ? No one is fucked up to find a fucking antidote ? Is it so complicated to analyze venom or even provide something for pain? Moving becomes more and more unbearable and he has an excruciating headache, to believe that one has fun beating his temples with Mjolnir. Guterman always had aspirin on him at least. What took him to embark on this mission? To play superheroes? He was adored, recognized as a savior all over the world and the next moment he became a ridiculous gus in armor fighting snakes? Has everything, absolutely everything, to be a fail in his life? It is out of the question that he still fails, his whole life cannot be made up of failures. When did it screw up? Everything was going so well, they had planned every step of Mysterio's ascent, every detail ... But he underestimated you and now he is chained to Fury like a dying dog without a look from his master.

Anger rises little by little in Beck by transforming into devouring fire which is translated on his face in a grimace which you take for pain. Unable to relieve him, you whisper to hold on and try to change his mind, but your presence suddenly becomes unbearable. It’s your fault he’s here, stuck on this shabby bed waiting to die in excruciating pain, because you followed him that night in Tokyo. It’s because of you that he sold himself to SHIELD and took risks to save some stupid strangers. Angrily, he opens his eyes and glares at you by spreading the hand on his arm.

\- Stop! You piss me off with your compassion, you don't have to act like a fucking saint.

Surprised, you step back slightly while you stare at him, more dismayed to see his eyes shining with fever than by his change of mood. Quentin looks at you with contempt, a sneer at the corner of his lips testifying that he will spit his gall. He is angry for having been dragged into this trap and he is angry for having hoped to be anything other than a failure. The tenderness that you show him, his mind turns it into pity, because it can only be about that. Too many thoughts and emotions for his bruised skull, he can no longer think about whether he feels fear, anger, love, hate or regret. His rapid breathing is wheezing as he looks at you coldly.

\- That's it, step back, it's the first smart thing you would do. Stop acting like I'm a being to save. I'm going to teach you something, Y/N, you can't save everyone. Helping others does nothing, it will not make your life less empty, you’ll just be trampled on by bastards like me. I am and I will remain a junk, make yourself a reason and stop turning around me. You make me sick.

After pronouncing his scathing tirade, Beck closes his eyes to better ignore you and not see you go. He was violent and a perfect bastard, you just have to leave the infirmary while remaining dignified or crying, as desired. It’s the most logical end. Maybe after he said that, you will avoid suffering if he dies. In the list of things he does not want to do, apart from dying, there is hurting you (again). Now he will be able to wait alone to know whether he will live or not.

Confronted to the violence of his words, you remained silent and you did not take your eyes off the face of your partner. He’s probably right, you’re trying to save as many people as possible to make sense of your life and you hold on to the hope that he’s not a hopeless case. It’s totally stupid and illusory, you realize that. But it doesn't matter, you have no intention of changing your course of action. Too bad if you go straight into the wall. Instead of leaving as Quentin expects, you get closer to the bed and start climbing. Feeling you close, the young man's features tense in an attempt to ignore you but you don't care. Slowly, you slide against the patient, ignoring his weak moan of protest, thinking only of bringing down the fever that tortures him. Your icy skin presses against his burning body, sliding on his limbs to appease the fire. This contact immediately relieves the hero who lets out a sigh as the pain loses its vigor. He doesn't understand how you can decide to stay with him, using your power to help him when he has insulted you. You should have been upset, maybe bruised, and left him for dead without looking back, he deserved it. But no, you're here and your presence is good for him, body and mind. A welcome sleep envelops his thoughts and Beck lets himself go without thinking about it, his breath slowing down.

The stiff muscles relax under your fingers and you stay like that, stretched out against the patient, occasionally running your hand around his neck or under his t-shirt to cool him down. Obviously, the young man’s words keep coming and going in your head but you don’t give them real credit yet. When your partner will be back on his feet, you may be thinking about his reject, but deep down, you don't think you will change anything. What can he really blame you for, believing in him? It may be silly but too bad, you will bear the consequences if it goes wrong. Some would say that you are responsible for Quentin’s state now, that it is your fault that he is dying. It may be showing bad faith but you think otherwise: you did your best to protect your partner and it was in no case you who pushed him to become a hero. Not directly. You already blame yourself so much and so much that it would be ridiculous to add this guilt. On the other hand, you intend to prevent your teammate from dying, even if it means going to seek him from Hell through the skin of the buttocks. Your fingers touch the line of his jaw, their pulp caressing the thin beard, and you feel that you could face the Unthinkable for him. Sorry Beck but you plan on continuing to turn around him.

A thin, constant noise fills space and your ears, a single note that immediately freezes your blood. You stand up and look in horror at the screen testifying that the hero's heart has stopped beating. No, losing him is out of the question, he is far too stubborn to die. Instinctively, you rock one leg over his body and sit astride to squeeze his chest, doing a heavy cardiac massage until the doctors arrive.

\- Hold on Quentin, this death would be dramatic but not spectacular enough for you, you can do much better, a heartbreaking agony where you would say last words as long as impactful.

You keep pressing, over and over again, without paying attention to the medical staff who charge the defibrillator or inject the fruit of their research into the young man’s arm. Obviously, there was not enough time to do tests before, it would remove tension otherwise. No one knows if this anti-venom will work, but if not, you will kill Nick Fury with your own hands. He didn't even bother to come and take a look, although you notice his faithful second in the corner. With a straight face, Maria Hill watches the scene, arms crossed. The presence of this friend strengthens your determination and you keep the pace, helping the thrilling to circulate what could be the antidote in Quentin's veins. Finally, the monitor picks up less monotonous music and the vital signs improve, until your partner grimaces trying to open his eyes. Realizing that you have to weigh heavy, you go down from his chest and move aside to let the doctors take care of him, check that he has no after-effects.

Still dizzy, the hero stays calm but looks for the partner to whom he owes excuses. He almost died and it was terrifying but beyond the fear of seeing such an incredible being (him) disappear, he keeps repeating that his last words could have been violent and paranoid. He could have died telling you horrors, things he didn't really mean. Well yes, maybe a little but it came out on its own, as it often does when he loses his temper. Now he has to tell you how sorry he is, but apologies are far from his thing. He almost died like a bastard...

When the doctors are sure that he is out of danger, they decide to bring Beck back to his room so that he can rest and, incidentally, no longer be next to a corpse. As his stretcher is taken out of the infirmary, the young man looks at you in full discussion with Agent Hill to whom you narrate the latest events. You do not omit any detail while remaining factual, describing each symptom and their evolution with professionalism. Then Maria sends you the closest thing to a friendly gesture (nodding) to tell you that you can finally breathe. Your arms hurt like hell and you're probably going to have aches, in addition to bruises after the hostage taking. If no criminal wants to point the nose tomorrow, that's fine with you. But before going to collapse on your bed, you decide to make a short stopover, just to make sure everything is fine.

Three small knocks resound against the door and Quentin lets out a smile of relief, he is happy not to have to claim you as a capricious child. But now that you’re here, he can’t back down any more and he’ll have to force himself to say words that he has no trouble pronouncing when he plays comedy. Except that there is no longer any question of playing the heroes, it would sound far too false. Pull away the veil, Beck, it's time to behave like an adult.

\- They could have made a little effort to keep an eye on you, you came close to death.

You speak quietly when you notice the absence of a monitor or a nurse, as if your teammate had just broken his arm. Nothing in your attitude indicates that you are angry or hurt but the young man suspected it, which does not prevent him from watching your movements with slight fear. But no, you just put a cup of coffee on his bedside table as if nothing had happened. On the other hand, you do not sketch a gesture towards him and for you who is so tactile, it is noticed immediately.

\- I think you can ask for one or two days off. If Fury refuses, we can always go on strike, it will be my French side that stands out.  
\- Y/N ...

You can see that he is doing violence, it can be read in his azure eyes that he is not comfortable. But you will not help him, out of the question of interrupting him. You only do like Maria Hill, nodding while waiting for the words to come out. Quentin struggles to get to the bottom of his thought, even if he never apologizes, even if it means admitting that he has slipped and therefore, perhaps, that he is truly unstable. His fingers search for yours while he looks you in the eyes, without acting out, without hiding behind a role, completely naked.

\- I ... I'm sorry for what I told you. I couldn't think anymore and I was awful. Sorry…

When he looks sheepish, you can only laugh, because you don't hold a grudge against him at all and you're not the type to take advantage of the situation. He had fever, he was terrified of dying, you forgive him without any problem. Your fingers are entwined and you bring them to your lips before gently resting the young man's hand on his chest.

\- It'll be fine... this time. Never do that to me again or I'll summon your ghost to kick your butt.

With a falsely fierce look, you pat him on the arm and head for the door to return to your room, to your bed. Reassured, your teammate laughs and straightens up slightly with a bewitching air.

\- When you said that we could retry the experience... about the kiss ...  
\- Drink your coffee, Quentin.

You leave the room and, on either side of the closed door, you think of the way you tease each over even when the dramatic tension has not yet come down. Then you think of your partner and the same stupid smile slides on your lips.


	10. An eternal flame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not summary even if I put the tags ^^
> 
> #soft #partner #fire #tension #cliffhanger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTzLgnT9UFI

It was far from being a good idea but, strangely, Fury had not made any comments to dissuade you so you had made up your mind. Without being totally idealistic, you hoped to do more good than harm by going there. Compared to Ravencroft, the prison was less sinister and silent, more usual and the possibilities of visits more frequent. The first time, you were far from comfortable, but you can now enter the penitentiary without feeling any more stomach knots.

Not everyone agreed to see you, which is more than understandable, but you allow to make a little connection, to give news, like a strange messenger. Janice Lincoln is, unsurprisingly, the most inclined to ask how others are doing, keeping behind bars a role of mother in the group now dissolved. Although they are not in the same cell, she spends most of her time with Victoria and even recently protected her from an attack, which has earned her a nice black eye today. Deceptively modest, she tells you in detail the events and you think with amusement that in another life, she could have started on her own, as a heroine or super-villainness.

« ... and so she found herself on the ground, my foot across her throat. That will teach her to attack Vic! »

This little woman finishes her story casually as if she had talked about cupcakes and resumes happily.

« So what about you? How is Q… how are you? »

She blushed slightly when she remembered one of the first rules established during these visits: we are not talking about Quentin Beck. The fall of Mysterio split the team, and while some are still loyal to their former leader, others are unlikely to welcome the young man. To allow everyone to get back on track, you agreed with Fury to let Beck fall into oblivion, even if you refused to declare him dead.  
Despite everything that happened, you know Janice still attached to her former colleague and if she treated you as an enemy at your first meeting (logic), learning that you took care of her colleague has changed her attitude towards you. So you nod your head with a smile to answer her in half words.

« Everything is going well, life is gradually resuming its course and we all try to leave certain things behind. »

You won't tell her more about your teammate or talk about Cobra. Either way, your interview is over and it's time for Janice to go back to her cell.

"Say "hi" to the others for me "

She waves to you, clinking her handcuffs before following her guardian. To say that at the beginning, she saw you as the one who had destroyed their projects... In a sense, it is the case but we cannot say that you are the only culprit. Anyway, coming here, you were not trying to clear your customs but rather to catch up with Quentin's nonsense. It may be stupid, but you see Janice, Victoria, this whole team as people who lost their bearings at one point. If their neurotic leader has managed to recover, the others will too.

According to your request, you have one day per month to visit those who have agreed to see you and you only have one last person before leaving discreetly to your partner. The prisoner's slim figure looms at the entrance and you inspect it quickly, looking for disturbing signs. You don't have much influence but to have pointed out William Ginter Riva's cough allowed him to get some medicine so you try to make yourself as useful as you can.

Guterman does not seem in bad shape, always calm and introvert over the weeks. You nod and greet him, let him sit up straight in his chair. If he has never been hostile towards you, you have taken a little time to pierce the shell of Gutes and your exchanges are, in general, quite short. Yet he’s one of the people you like the most, maybe because he comes to life by talking about a passion he may have developed behind bars: writing.

"So ... how is your novel going?" 

You point to the little notebook that he squeezes between his fingers and that contains all his ideas, entire pages blacked out at all hours of the day. The one who had created the identity of Mysterio from scratch lets his inspiration flow and guide him and, strangely, he discovered that he liked to design universes, something that was not technology and pure science.

" Good, I think. I am working on an important point. Once this concern is resolved, I know the rest will flow by itself. I continued to explore the theory of multiverses and I think I found something that would link them together, after all, it's totally possible that parallel universes exist and therefore the character I told you about the last times will come from a land… "

Similar to a steam locomotive, Guterman always begins to speak softly and then slowly wakes up to pick up speed. You listen to him with joy and when the visiting hour ends, you encourage him to continue because he has a good story. Who knows ? Maybe he’s going to turn it into something concrete and publish it and become not a former employee of Stark Industries who went wrong, but a happy author. Today you are hoping for a new start for the Mysterio team, this world has experienced too much horror for you to wish someone else's misfortune.

With an ease born of habit, you enter the depths of SHIELD to find your partner who still does not have the right to lead his life outside the clutches of Fury. Despite his sometimes explosive temper, Quentin nevertheless seems to have gotten used to it and since you are almost always around, he does not experience his confinement too badly. For the time being. As usual, you find him installed at his desk, repairing or improving his equipment between two missions. Not wanting to disturb him, you just go behind him, touching his shoulder to settle on his bed. On your cell phone, an SMS from your best friend asking you when you are going back to France. It’s true that it’s getting far…

" Everything went well ? "

Beck turns to you, his innocent question immediately making you think of Janice. But the rule works both ways, if you don't talk about Quentin to his team, you don't talk about them either and your teammate knows it very well. Despite several attempts and playing with his charm, he failed to draw it out of you and it will stay that way. You answer him with a simple nod, it went very well. The engineer does not hide his frustration and sighs as he stands up to join you on the mattress. Without thinking about it, you wipe a dark mark on his face, the residue of a day tinkering. If we still can not say that you are a couple in the classic sense of the term, the gestures of affection multiply more and more and Beck welcomes this caress with pleasure.

\- I can't believe you became friends with them ... They still tried to kill you!  
\- We are not going to come back to that, but it seems to me that you were in charge.  
\- So let's say the culprits were the drones.

You laugh lightly and let yourself go against him as he lies down, one arm around your shoulders. When he learned that you were visiting his former colleagues, his surprise was only temporary. After all, you agreed to give him a chance when he was absolutely hateful. Some would take it for naivety but Beck has learned to be wary of your apparent innocence. He sometimes suspects you of having a superpower, an ability that would make people want to make you proud of them. That would explain why instead of throwing you in the face of the wolf, you managed to tame it (that and some time locked up in an asylum).

_Hey there, Little Red Riding Hood,  
You sure are looking good  
You’re everything a Big Bad Wolf could want_

Quentin sings softly in a warm voice that makes you want to close your eyes to listen to him better. To your surprise, you discovered that he sometimes played with his voice when he thought he was alone and that he sang very well. Sharing the same taste for music, it has happened to you once or twice to launch a duet for fun, at the risk of swearing with the dark and serious reputation of SHIELD. Lying against each other on the bed, you let yourself be lulled by the raucous and tender inflections more than by the words that make you smile.

_What big eyes you have,  
The kind of eyes that drive wolves mad.  
So just to see that you don't get chased  
I think I should to walk with you for a ways._

_What full lips you have.  
They're sure to lure someone bad.  
So until you get to grandma's place  
I think you should to walk with me and be safe._

_I'm gonna keep my sheep suit on  
Until I'm sure that you've been shown  
That I can be trusted walking with you alone._

Eyelids closed, you bury your face in Beck's neck, stroking his head, where his hair comes to tickle your fingers. The young man realizes that he was missing the heat of your body and he lets his arms close around you so as not to let you go. How long does this embrace last? Ten minutes ? One hour ? Can't say, but you're interrupted by the alarm that your services are needed. No more hugs, it's time to put on your hero costume.

The problem with SHIELD is that the last time you just had to help a kid get off a tree is a long time ago. You always find yourself on dangerous missions and this one is no exception. Another burglary, still armed people. At least there are no hostages this time, which makes things simpler. The windows have been emptied of their jewelry, glass strewn across the floor and the enemies all wear a very ugly, plastic mask. Classic. Useless to advance you in plain sight, they are unlikely to decide to flee by abandoning their booty just because they saw two horned puppets. You warn them, however, so that you are not accused of having knocked first and then spoken.

"We give you a chance to go without damage. Otherwise, we will have to fight and frankly, we would like to spend our evening otherwise. "

As expected, a lot of insults and a few shots meet your proposal, it is not this evening that you can go to bed early. With the same tired sigh, Beck and you embark on a fight using your gifts to deflect the balls without much difficulty. You don’t have handcuffs, so you’ll have to knock them out and tie them up while the police arrive. In close combat, your teammate is doing better than you but, without wanting to count the points, you are just as efficient with your own means. Overall, the fight is going well, the routine, until one of the women in the group decides to raise the stakes.

"We are going to see how you manage with this!" 

A gigantic tongue of fire spurts from the barrel of her weapon, barely missing Quentin who backs away suddenly. Emboldened, the burglar begins to wave her flamethrower in all directions without worrying about her comrades who cry out to her to stop. Before you have time to tear the object from her, a brazier begins to bite the ceiling of the jewelry, spreading all around you. I don't know about you, but I have the impression that the situation is getting out of hand. The most reactive of the gang fled outside but the others are less fortunate, a hot wall forming in front of the only exit. In an instant, the jewelry has become an oven and a glowing trap from which you must escape. Beck puts on his smoke mask and you quickly imitate him. If you don't stop the flames quickly, the fire may spread to nearby buildings, but you must first evacuate the burglars to limit the number of victims.

"I will try to open a passage for you and limit the damage until the firefighters arrive. Help the civilians get out. "

Quentin opens his mouth to ask you to be careful but that would be wasting his saliva, he knows you too well with your failing survival instinct. The ceiling creaks above your heads, you don't have much time before everything collapses. You concentrate to create a passage in the middle of the flames, projecting your power to clear the exit. Unlike you, criminals have no protection against the black smoke that makes them cough, and some are already in bad shape. Your partner lifts one on his shoulder, bending his knees under the weight but clenching his teeth while carrying him outside. No time to reassure panic-stricken passers-by, he leaves for the jewelry store, regretting that he cannot help you extinguish the blaze. Concentrated in the middle of the flames, you seem very small but you hold on even if you feel that the fire has already developed too much. Unlike your fight in Paris, this glowing monster is real and neither you nor Beck can destroy it with a snap of your fingers. A stifling heat radiates around you and you start to toil to repel the tongues of fire which threaten more and more to come and lick your flesh.

"Y/N, get out of here, it's too dangerous! "

You shake your head vigorously even if the worried accents of your partner have not escaped you. Quentin is stiffened with anxiety, he must get you out of there before the ceiling collapses on your heads, it is out of the question that you die before his eyes. A howl reaches you at ground level, one of the burglars crawling as best as the flames devour her pants.

\- Get out of here, I can still hold on.  
\- No, come with us, we don't have time anymore ...  
\- I can't go ahead and protect you at the same time. Go away !  
\- I do not want to lose you !

Despite the helmet that protects him, you imagine Quentin's face distorted by fear as his cry echoes in your ears. He cares about you... but this is not the time for declarations, you love him too much to listen to him. Gathering your strength, you project a large icy salvo towards the exit, looking your partner straight in the eyes while trying to smile.

"Save her and save your skin, fool. I have no intention of leaving you right away. "

The young man wants to protest but he has no time, the passage that you created will not last long, every second counts. He grabs the injured woman and lifts her up in his arms to flee the blaze, promising to pick you up immediately after dropping her on the sidewalk. Unfortunately, he barely came out when the jewelry collapsed behind him, falling on itself in a deafening noise of wood and concrete.

"Y/N! "

_To be continued_


	11. I put a spell on you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is there anything you wouldn't do for your partner ?  
Or maybe it's for yourself... Quentin faces a choice, a great opportunity... Will he kiss the Devil's hand ?
> 
> #love #kiss #ambitiousBeck #Devil #deal #power

Dust and smoke rise into the air in a black, suffocating mass pierced by the orange glow of greedy flames. Helpless passers-by let out shocked exclamations as the siren of a fire engine sounds in the distance, accompanied by two ambulances. The injured will be able to be taken away but Quentin doesn't care, his eyes on the blaze that continues to crackle in front of him. Without thinking, he rushes forward screaming your name, pushing away those who want to restrain him by placing their hands on his searing armor. You sacrificed yourself to save everyone. Who do this ? You are really stupid and he intends to tell you. Oh my god, don't die, he would never forgive himself. There was nothing he could do to save you...

Coughing violently despite your mask, you emerge from the nightmarish setting, blinded by the smoke that makes your eyes cry. On the other hand, you can hear the male voice calling you and you let yourself be guided to your teammate, letting you half-fall into his arms, trying to reassure him. Unable to tell him "all is well" without coughing, you give up and let him hug you.

"Don't ever do that to me again… damn it, I thought you were dead! You are totally mad to stay in the midst of the flames. Damn, if you hadn't been out ... you really are the worst teammate! "

You let him insult you as he pleases, laughing through your tears, caressing his arm. If he could just take you to the shelter that would be nice, you're totally exhausted and dehydrated. The SHIELD medics examine you carefully upon your arrival, declaring that your days are not in danger and that you simply need to rest and drink plenty. It's a shot that appeals to you, especially since it's been dark for a long time. Beck walks you to your room, his face closed since the fire. He is totally upset that he almost saw you die and felt excruciatingly useless. He's supposed to be a hero but you do all the work, what is he for? This nagging feeling of being just an assistant, him the brilliant engineer, makes him gloomy and he remains surprisingly silent. As a good team member, you try to cheer him up.

"I'll take note, I have to stop smoking ..."

Not even a small smile, you let go of the humor to take his hand and squeeze it gently. This contact has the merit of distracting a little the young man who finally looks at you.

\- Stop frowning, you're going to have wrinkles.  
\- You can talk, you smell like smoked ham.  
\- I finally found the sassy Beck that I love so much.

With your cracked lips and dark circles, you embody fatigue but still refuse to let go until he relaxes a bit. Determined to make him say what is wrong, you don't hesitate to use a sensitive chord.

"Quentin… the lies almost killed us both so talk to me. Tell me what's bothering you. "

The sentence hits the mark and your teammate grimaces at this reminder of his past mistakes. You're not going to give up that easily so he might as well be honest. He slips a hand on your back to pull you against him, his eyes sparkling with anger and a hint of pain.

"I left you all alone in the middle of a blaze because I was unable to help. I was useless, a pale copy of heroes. "

Under the fear hides the wounded pride, you feel it but you won't say anything. Thoughtful, you embrace him tenderly while thinking. Under the shirt, you can feel Beck's heart pounding, you need to calm him down before he goes into a spin. So calmly, you speak as you would tell a story to a child.

"You know, I've only teamed up twice in my life: with you and with another man before. You would have seen him, he was an awesome hero, the epitome of who I wanted to be… I admired him, of course, and… more. I would have followed him to the end of the world. "

The hand on your back pulls back as your partner tenses up, jealousy clenched even if he doesn't push you away, too curious to hear your rest of your praise on this wonderful hero.

\- And why didn't you keep teaming up with him if he was so great?  
\- He is dead.

Surprise embraces Quentin, who lowers his eyes to meet your serious, almost cold gaze. You paused before shrugging your shoulders as if you didn't care about that teammate's death.

"He's dead and that's good because it was just wind, a beautiful tissue of lies. I would much rather struggle and risk my life with a partner I can trust than lean on a pipe dream or someone who laughs at me and acts out of play or calculation. "

The message is clear, even limpid and your friend remains standing, not knowing what to say. With a laugh, you release the dramatic tension and stand up on your tiptoes to kiss Beck's cheek. You sincerely hope you have managed to defuse his anger and you can feel him relaxing against you, which is a good sign. However, you've just escaped a fire and it's time for you to rest whether you want it or not. Without a hint of hesitation, Quentin lifts you up and throws you over his shoulder to carry you to the bed, pulling the blanket before you can protest.

"Sleep, you've done enough today. "

Playfully, you open your mouth to reply, but your partner places his hand on your lips, looking you straight in the eye, his blue pupils catching yours with seductive authority.

“Sleep, Y/N. "

Your heart skips a beat and you promise to find out how he would react if you disobeyed any of his orders. But not now, there you do indeed need a few hours of sleep, the proof: you are not even able to cool your fingertips anymore. So you obey and close your eyes, not without sticking your tongue out at the young man.

"I'll be right beck "

Quentin shakes his head and slips away to let you rest although a part of him would have liked to have stayed by your side. He goes to his room to get a few hours of sleep too, but with each step, a gloom tinged with anger begins to rise in him and he clenches his fists. This mission could have been a total disaster and it is far from the first time. The young man leans against his door, remembering your various missions and the number of times things went or nearly got out of hand. What particularly strikes Beck is the sense of helplessness that emanates from these memories, which has never been more violent than it is today. He fails to support you the way he would like, never perfectly, or even protect you. Basically, he's not really your partner but more of an assistant who tries somehow to come up to you and not get in your way. No wonder, he's just a poor Nick Fury’s puppet thrown into the dungeon. These missions are only community service. Yet he could do so much more, so much more. He's not just a little scraper, he's Quentin Beck, genius engineer, (almost) outstanding liar, skillful and intelligent.

"I am much incredible than they might imagine ..."

The young man looks at himself in the mirror, almost delighted to find the spark burning in his eyes. It’s not madness, it’s determination. It's not enough playing second-class heroes anymore, he need to step up a gear and get away from SHIELD in order to get you out of harm's way. But how ?

“Maybe this is when I do my entrance. "

A voice, both thin and deep, fills Quentin's ears, making him jump and look around as if searching for a ghost. If no spectral shadows stand out against the wall, a muscular woman (or a thin man ?) sits quietly on the bed like you when you visit your friend. The latter isn't wearing his usual gear, but that doesn't prevent him from scanning the room for a potential weapon. The strange intruder lifts a hand in reassurance, their pupilless white eyes fixed on Beck.

"Before you raise the alarm, I think you should listen to me. "

A sudden sensation in his ankle lowers the eyes of the engineer who finds the wrist strap on the ground but in perfect condition. He's been wearing this device of doom for so long that his leg feels light. A shiver of panic seizes him, officers are coming in any second and he will not be able to explain how he got rid of the bracelet.

"No one will notice, their device is working as usual, like it never left your flesh. "

The odd character who is obviously not human flashes a relaxed smile at Quentin who is obviously on his guard. But he is also very curious to know what this ambiguous being wants from him, which is why he nods his head without taking his eyes off them. The slender figure dressed in a black suit does not reveal much about the identity of the guest, but, on the other hand, the slightly red skin is a clue not to be overlooked. Without being religious, Beck is not the kind of man to treat the Devil lightly, even if they are a fake.

\- What do you want to tell me ?  
\- That maybe I have the solution to make your wish come true.  
\- Sorry to disappoint you, but I haven't made a wish. I am neither Cinderella nor Aladdin.

Maybe chatting isn't such a good idea, he could try to quietly warn Fury or anyone that a suspicious individual is in his room. If he hits his material, he should be quick enough to knock out the demon. It was then that he noticed the thick green smoke that gradually filled the space of the room and seemed more than familiar to him. Reflexively, he raises his hand to push back the fog, but freezes for half a second as he watches his fingers glow with an emerald light. Without explaining it, he feels as if he is generating the smoke that continues to spread around him. Then everything stops as suddenly as it appeared. Still sitting on the bed, the soulless-eyed creature shrugs.

“I want to talk about this vow. Your powers, your dummy power, I can give it back to you and make it real. Goodbye junk special effects, goodbye paper hero unable to save a kitten. "

Considering that they have given enough proof of their power, the stranger gets up and approaches Beck, handing him their card with only a name on it: Mephisto. Now all that remains is to let the young man think because if he is intelligent, he is also devoured by ambition and pride. Easy prey, a delicacy. The devil is simply giving him the chance to finally live up to it and become the sublime hero he had tried to play before he was unmasked. With such power, he'll never feel like a ball to your ankle again.

“What do you want in return? Everything has a price and it must be very expensive. "

Far from displaying the curiosity tinged with excitement that consumes him, Quentin shoots his cold eyes on the stranger as he awaits their answer. Asking for his soul would be a bit cliché, and the engineer would be too afraid that the demon would want to get their due back as soon as possible and end his life. But then what can such a powerful being want from him?

“A service, extremely easy to perform for a human. I could do it myself but I don’t want to be noticed too much. You, on the other hand, won't have to put in too much effort and it will go away on its own."

Obviously, they won't tell him more, it would be too simple. Beck doesn't plan on getting fooled that easily and even though his whole being longs to say "yes" to taste the power again, he shakes his head in refusing. A hoarse cough breaks through the silence, the kind you get when you are choking. With the scenography of an extract from Beauty and the Beast, the mirror turns cloudy to show you, coughing violently to the point of waking you up. Hardly catching your breath, you take a few sips of water to try to clear the sensation in your throat. Fucking smoke... The vision blurs and Quentin sees only his face in the mirror, his features drawn by sudden anguish when he sees you suffocate.

" I accept. "

He is surprised by the harshness and the assurance of his own voice, he seems so decided... Mephisto smiles thoughtfully, they did not think they were playing the sensitive chord so well, they must admit that pride seemed a better weak point than the feelings in the young man but anyway, whatever, only the result counts. The devil is reaching out to sign the pact while adding that they have no boring recommendations to make known, no restrictions, no power issues after midnight. Feeling on a razor's edge, Beck swallows and shakes the offered hand before considering regretting it. The supernatural being draws him against them to seal the agreement with a kiss because it is always good to mix pleasure and work then, as easily as they appeared, the creature disappears into the air, leaving the hero alone. with himself.

Silence falls and Quentin looks down at his fingers to see if his wish has been granted. With surprising ease, he gives birth to a jade glow along his knuckles and all he has to do is think of Paris to see the scenery materialize around him. The choice is not trivial and he takes a few seconds to admire the night fair, almost feeling you close to him looking for your next merry-go-round. Then he puts an end to the illusion and suppresses an exclamation of exultation. Finally, he can finally be a true hero, one of those we admire, a powerful hero. He smirked as he stepped out into the hallway, still hesitant to tell you of his change. As he pushes open your door, he refrains from speaking aloud when he finds you curled up on your bed, your face buried in a blue and white shirt, his shirt (an old thing he bought in Venise).

“Pff… thief. "

With a tender smile, the young man pulls the covers back over you and places a kiss on your temple, inhaling your scent, feeling stronger than ever. He will finally be able to protect you and be up to the task.

***

You may be two heroes, you are still working for the SHIELD and your partner is risking a lot to reveal his new abilities to Nick Fury. So he decided to keep it a secret, even if he has to hide things from you too. Soon he will be able to tell you everything, very soon. For now, you are enjoying calm, mission-free time to rest a bit. Seated next to each other, you face off on Battlefront until you cry victory, raising your arms in the air with a big smile.

\- Bam! Take this, Anakin, I beat you!  
\- The dark side cannot win, I refuse.

Quentin throws his controller on the bed before hugging you, rocking you against him to tickle your hips with his fingertips. He knows you are very ticklish and it does not miss, you burst out laughing begging him to release you. When he stops his torture, you catch your breath as you look at him, seated above you, his knees on either side of your body. He seems happier lately, more seductive too and you don't mind that. Without thinking about it, you caress his cheek, curious.

"You look different… did something happen? "

Your teammate answers you with an enigmatic smile, it is still too early to reveal his secret to you. He kisses the crook of your wrist, thinking of the future, when he’ll no longer be under Fury's control and he can love you as he sees fit, without fear of being watched, without feeling like a criminal on conditional.

"I'll tell you soon, very soon. For now ... let's say I'm happy to be with you. "

To cut your questions short, he leans down to seal your lips, kissing you long, lovingly like you haven't done for a long time. Then he sits up and pulls away proudly, his eyes shining with joy after the kiss. Your red cheeks hint at your astonishment and maybe also your desire for him to do it again. But it won't be for yet, a slight headache made the young man think he would have to slip away for a while.

"Um… maybe I should move on to the dark side if all Sith kiss as well as you. See you later. "

Without specifying what this "later" means, he leaves, thinking that his shirt looks really good on you. As he walks through the dark hallways, his headache swells slightly and he closes his eyes while rubbing his temples. At the risk of sounding like an old man, maybe he should have put on his glasses to play the console. But it is, alas, not that. When he opens his eyes, Beck's pupils have lost their sapphire shine to replicate the emerald, symbol of Mysterio. It's time for the hero to fulfill his part of the deal and he leaves without even realizing it.

Sitting in front of a black screen, you remain frozen to blush looking at the void. Your fingers pass back and forth over your lips where you can still feel your partner's. You don't know what makes him happy, but you like the way he expresses his joy. Maybe it's time to finally drop the last barriers and stop holding yourself back. You like him very much, he has shown that he is able to redeem himself, you have started a new life. Freeing him from SHIELD won't be easy, but probationary time may be over and with Maria Hill's help you should be able to get Quentin's bracelet off. Yes, that's what you are going to do. Full of determination, you adjust your outfit and go to accomplish your mission: to lift the punishment of your boyfriend.  
Did you really think "boyfriend" ?!

In the early evening Beck returns to your side as if nothing had happened, intertwining your fingers. He can't remember the last few hours, it's very fuzzy, but he knows he probably fulfilled his end of the bargain and he's happy with it. As for you, you launched the machine at SHIELD to rid your friend of his shackle and you are keeping it a secret for now. You enjoy the calm to step outside for the air, your hands still clasped as you walk quietly, even you know that every step is known to Fury. Quentin gently squeezes your knuckles, looking at you sideways, beautiful in your own way in the changing light of dusk. He thinks of the first time he noticed you, really noticed you, on your trip to Paris after a perilous mission (at least in appearance). Back then, a thick veil of lies separated you from one another and it cost you a lot at the time. He can't explain everything to you but... he doesn't want to be the one who hides again, who plays the comedy.

“Y/N… do you miss France sometimes? "

The question surprises you and you think for a few seconds before answering, frowning. You sometimes get homesick and sure, you miss your best friend terribly, but that life you have here makes up for it. And then, as far as your family is concerned, you can't say that you care very much for them.

\- Sometimes ... I've spent a good part of my life there. I would love to introduce you my friend, well ... if you don't mind.  
\- It would be with pleasure.

He smiles at you and you blush unwittingly, imagining the meeting between the two people most dear to your heart. If you have to present him to your friend, that will make things official. She's not going to let you go with that… You take a few more steps through the empty streets before your partner steps in, a slight smile of anticipation lighting up his face.

\- I also have good memories ... You proudly won this plush.  
\- Oh yes, the Cabbage Patch! You will have to do it again one day.

Quentin was only waiting for these words to make your wish come true, taking advantage of the fact that you two are out of sight to transform the scenery, drawing around you the fun fair and its bright colors. The change is so sudden and overwhelming that you freeze with your mouth open trying to figure out what you are seeing. Can't believe your senses but it feels so real. You are the very image of surprise and your teammate relishes his effect, happy to be able to offer you this spectacle.

\- Q… Quentin, do you see that? It is you who… ?  
\- You wanted to go back, right?

He laughs as he hugs you, thinking he had worked on this illusion for hours to make everything perfect. All that's missing is the sweet smell of the treats to really make you feel like you've been teleported. It's a daring way to share his new powers with you, but Beck is happy with his idea. For the surprise, this is a success. You look around you at the glowing stands, at night above your heads. It’s truly amazing, it’s like you have stepped back in time. But this fun fair is not only a synonym of happiness, he has already shown it to you, he has already hijacked it before your eyes to turn it into a nightmare vision. Your hand tightens in his, you turn pale as the memories roll together. If an icy chill doesn't start running down your spine, it’s because you trust your friend enough to push the fear away.

\- Stop Please.  
\- Y/N?

Quentin immediately obeyed, making the scene disappear in a green haze as if nothing had happened. He notices with concern that your face expresses more anguish than wonder, that's not how he imagined it. You are already starting to look around, searching for the drones, that is the only possible explanation. But his team is disbanded and he cannot have rebuilt all these years of work on his own. Before you let your dark thoughts run free, your partner interrupts you and cupped your face in his hands.

"Everything is fine, honey, everything is fine. I promise you there is no gimmick, no hidden robot, no scheming. I ... found a way to become a more powerful hero, more able to support you. I can't explain how yet but I promise I will do it very soon. "

Is he acting? You would like to believe not, that his gaze is sincere pleading and that the contact on your cheeks is not calculated. You keep silent, much too worried. How did he get his powers? Does he master them? What will Fury do if he finds out? Yes, you are not so scared of Beck as you are for him and that is proof that you love him or that you are stupid. Maybe both.

\- Beck, that's ...  
\- Please trust me. You will know everything very soon but, in the meantime, trust me. Just a short moment.

He knows what it means to you to have to close your eyes and let him guide you, he clearly didn't deserve your trust in the early days but now he's really changed. He is sincere, totally sincere. You look at his big pleading blue eyes and finally heave a sigh. Praying for the right decision, you rest your forehead against his.

" I trust you. I just hope you don't risk anything. "

You hug each other, ready to face the rest like a real team. You don't know yet if Beck's new powers are a good thing, but you'll have to get used to it. You decide to go home, silent even as you transmit your thoughts to each other with the clasp of your fingers. Since he seems to have fulfilled his mission, your friend doesn't worry too much and even feels reassured to have confessed to you his change. It's a new page being written and he is ready to become the hero of the story.


	12. Everything I do, I do it for you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quentin Beck has real powers, he can now modify the reality around him, bend illusions to his will. He will finally be able to be a worthy partner, a hero to be acclaimed.  
But he also has to pay his debt and Mephisto has not finished doing juicy business.
> 
> #blood #tears #deal #pain #love #sacrifice

The young man suffocates, tries to cough but only chokes in his own blood. He crawls across the icy ground in a pathetic effort to save himself, but he already knows deep down that he's lost all of his chances. The flickering light casts shadows on his fear-deformed face, his dark hair stuck in clotted hemoglobin. He knew it, he knew he shouldn't play with the Devil. Something falls on him and his head hits hard against the stone, that's it, it's the end. He let out a final gasp of agony as he stared in horror at the emerald eyes gleaming in the darkness.

***

"Maria Hill, you deserve a kiss but I won't because it would be dangerous and I don't want to die. So I'll just say thank you. "

You suppress your urge to hug the agent, but the joy that is on your face could light up the whole of Stark Tower, you're in heaven. It wasn't easy, but SHIELD officially agrees to release your teammate from their surveillance (and torture) bracelet. As of tomorrow, he will be able to withdraw it without fear. You can't wait to tell him the news and since it's already late, you go to your quarters to wait for him. Your heart is beating hard, you can already imagine his face, he will be delighted. The hours go by, you don't really know where he might have been. You go in the training hall, in your room, in his, but maybe you missed it. Refusing to give in to the worry as a small voice whispers, you sit in an armchair to wait, even if it means half dozing off. In your hands, you turn and invert the painted ball supposed to predict the future but which you do not even look at.

A noise in the room pulls you out of your torpor and you open your eyes, smiling as you see your partner in the dark. Right when you have a big news, he decides to show up only in the middle of the night ... It's okay, you hold out your hand to him, suppressing a yawn, happy to see him.

" Here you are at last ! I have something to tell you that will make you happy. "

But instead of approaching or answering you, your lover remains standing, his huge eyes looking everywhere with a hallucinated air. Something's wrong, he's not showing any of his usual confidence, he looks… shocked. You jump on your feet, approach to touch him as he lets out a moan. His hand is shaking under yours and you feel it rough, as if covered with something dry.

\- Y/N… Y/N, I'm sorry…  
\- Quentin, what's the matter? What is happening ?

You push him back to the bed, sit him down while you turn on the light. That's when you see the splashes that mark Beck's skin, staining his cheeks, his fingers. The reddish hue leaves little doubt but you don't notice a wound, it's not his blood. The azure eyes keep spinning in all directions as he opens his mouth to speak without succeeding.

“I don't know what happened… I don't remember anything. Y/N, I'm covered in blood… I know it's not mine. It's not mine, but I don't remember whose it is. Everything is blurry, I… I don't understand… ”

You take his hands to help his calm down, trying not to shake as you feel panic start to rise as the sea recedes into a tidal wave. You had never seen Quentin in such a state before, ever. With his messy hair and his hallucinatory gaze, he looks excruciatingly fragile. You ask him to breathe deeply, squeezing him in your arms until he calms down a bit. The face buried in your neck, your partner gradually regains his senses, reassured by your smell and your warmth. He is guarding you against him, not daring to meet your gaze because he knows this is all his fault and that he made a big mistake. No matter what he does, he always seems to end up at your feet to confess his sins.

“It's all my fault… I signed a pact with the Devil itself to impress you. I believe it is called Pride, or Greed. He or she came to see me in my room, offering to give me my past power in exchange for a favor. I had no idea I was going to… I swear I started out wanting to refuse, but… their arguments were persuasive. "

He remembers your image in the mirror, coughing violently after the fire where he almost lost you. He can't deny that his wish was selfish but… not only. You listen to him attentively, inwardly helpless in the face of the situation. But deep down, an idea begins to emerge even if you don't say anything about it. Your teammate needs to calm down and rest for the moment, he isn’t really able to handle things. You shouldn't infantilize him, but it's your way of showing that you care about him. And that you don't blame him.

“We're going to settle this together. At the moment, it is too late to think about it. "

Slowly, you help him to get rid of his soiled clothes, to clean the stains on his flesh. Quentin thanks you in a low voice, letting you guide him in each gesture for once. He has done enough and he is deeply touched by your gentleness and your patience. He does not deserve you. Finally, you lie down on the bed, his head against your chest as you gently stroke his hair, running your fingers through his dark strands. He listens to the beating of your heart and feels his slowing down, finding a more peaceful rhythm. Fatigue gradually makes his limbs soften and he falls asleep against you, letting himself be lulled by your reassuring presence. Never, ever in his life, has he let himself go in someone's arms but he surrenders completely and falls into a dreamless sleep. You stay a long time caressing his head, thoughtful, before closing your eyes in turn. But you are not going to sleep, you are incapable of it and besides, the time would be badly chosen to rest. Articulating without making the slightest sound, you pronounce Mephisto's name to summon them or at least join them.

For a moment, nothing happens and you are already thinking about lighting candles, performing ancient dark rites when you feel your mind slipping far into the dark, away from the bedroom and from Quentin. You open your eyes to see a being neither man nor woman smiling at you and you know that it is a dream. Mephisto doesn't seem surprised to see you and plays with the tip of their tail with almost obscene gestures. You've faced a lot of dangers but the sight of this soulless-eyed scarlet demon triggers a chill down your spine. However, you don't plan to go back, you will see it through.

"Y/N, I suspected you wouldn't take long to visit me. What can I do for you, my child? "

Without the slightest hint of embarrassment, Mephisto settles down in an armchair, looking at you, the tip of their electronic cigarette between their long red fingers. The devil smokes… or at least, he / she vapes. Cliche. You stare at the creature looking for your words, thinking about your teammate helps you keep all your anger and determination. You will have to make a deal, you are aware of it, but at this moment, you are not thinking of all what you can lose, only of the one that could disappear if you do nothing.

"I must admit I thought I would meet you years ago. I would have enjoyed torturing your father if you had asked me to. But it seems that you knew how to move forward ... too bad. "

The demonic entity looks disappointed as they blow sugary smoke that fills the air and obscures your vision. For a brief moment the mist seems to turn green before turning white again and you know that is not just a figment of your imagination. Mephisto is playing with you, stretching their dark lips into a mischievous smile to reveal teeth too sharp to be human.

“No… you're there for him. You saw an opportunity to save his soul, literally, and you jumped head first into the rabbit hole. All this compassion, this irrepressible desire to make others happy by sacrificing yourself… honey, you have a heart that is too huge for this world. "

You hear their laugh echoing directly in your head, sharp just like the choice of the nickname. This is all a game of psychological slaughter and you are like a spider in front of a sadistic child who tears off your paws one or one. No way to waste time, you don't know what can happen to Quentin while you're chatting with the devil. So you glare at the entity before nodding your head. You announce in a clear voice that you have come to erase his debt and the consequences of it.

\- But what will you give me in exchange? I have nothing to do with your soul, my child, so what will you sacrifice to me? Your face ? Years of your life? Your pretty eyes?  
\- Why not memories? The years lived must have a special flavor, right?

It's only a guess but you hope to capture their interest and besides, you see an unhealthy glow shining in the filthy eyes of the creature. They beckon you to continue and you try to keep your tone calm by offering them not one but three or four years of your childhood, all your memories between your six and nine years old. This is a lot of time and you hope it will be enough. But the devil is not fooled and he/she laughs, shaking their head.

“Nice try, honey, really. It was an interesting idea and I would have accepted if… you had any memories of that time. "

You do not deceive the demon so easily and you feel your face change color, Mephisto knows that you have forgotten this part of your childhood, that you have pushed it away to escape certain traumas. You wanted to cheat and you lost. What else can you offer? Are you going to have to give real years of your life and shorten it? The ageless being walks up to you and strokes your hip, their touch making you nauseous even though you remain static.

"Don't worry, I have no intention of mutilating you, I will not take your limbs or your voice. I want something precious, something that comes from deep inside you. What I want ...is this. "

The devil suddenly caresses the lower part of your stomach and you jump back, filled with disgusting thoughts of what you are being asked. But no, it's not about sexual favors, nothing so vulgar. Mephisto bares their teeth as they explain that what you will have to give is the possibility for you to have children. You will never be able to carry life within you.

“It’s not much as you see it. Children are not an obligation or you can adopt them. We live very well without offspring, believe me. The question is: are you willing to sacrifice this for him? "

No need to show you who "he" is, you are very clearly thinking of your partner's face. A jumble of images, happy or painful moments, all linked to Quentin Beck. The one who used you. The one who almost died. The one who destroyed cities to satisfy his ambition. The one who seeks to redeem himself. The one who tortured you. The one who was tortured. The one you love.

"Will you sell the future for the present?" "

The long outstretched hand is waiting for yours to seal the pact, the seconds stretch like a trickle of honey to make the moment more solemn. What you will reduce to ashes if you accept may seem very small, but you feel the weight of this decision. You take a deep breath and pursed your lips before shaking Mephisto's hand, letting the creature place a kiss on your lips to validate your agreement. Already, you feel yourself moving away while the devil is still talking to you.

“He will keep his powers and his crime is erased. In return, your body will forever be barren land. Have fun, my child. "

Body and mind come together and you find yourself back in the bedroom as if nothing had happened, as if all this had been just a strange dream. Tight against you, Quentin is still asleep and you feel his calm breathing, the slight movement of his body against yours. With a tender smile, you brush his cheek, happy you saved him, and let the tears flow freely down your cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that a lot of persons won't recognize themselves in this chapter. I totally understand it.  
What Y/N tries to give and what she has to sacrifice are things very specific and for some people, more or less important. I wanted to find something that won't mutilate Y/N, that will not be visible but has a certain weight. Of course, it's not a big deal but I wanted the image of trading the future for the present.

**Author's Note:**

> Requests are open here : https://www.tumblr.com/blog/bubbletimestories


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